At his Sunday audience on May 1, Pope Francis used the day’s Gospel, relating the miraculous catch of fish, to encourage the faithful to rely on Jesus. He said:
Brothers and sisters, when our nets are empty in life, it is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves, to have fun, to return to old pastimes. It is time to begin again with Jesus, it is time to find the courage to begin again, it is time to put out to sea again with him.
After his formal remarks, the Pope mentioned that as the month of May begins, his thoughts are on the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol: “Mary’s city.”
The Pope also called attention to May 1 as Labor Day, and spoke about the dignity of work. Oddly, he did not mention the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.