Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great: In reflecting on our first reading, it is worth noting that Paul doesn’t say that if anyone among you considers himself wise, let him realize that he is a fool, but rather let him become a fool, so as to become wise. Becoming a fool is not about unplugging our brains and denying any natural intelligence we might have. Actually, in one sense, becoming a fool occurs precisely in engaging our brains and discovering the paltry limits of our intellects when it comes to grasping the great mystery of God. The willingness to engage the ultimate and unsettling questions of life and wrestle with the divine mysteries is—in the imagery of today’s gospel—to heed Jesus’ instruction: Put out into deep water. Lowering the nets is, in turn, lowering our defenses against the humiliating experience of being little more than intellectual fools when it comes to grasping who and what God is. However, if we do lower these nets—our defenses—then the way is open for us to enter into the very mystery of God and to no longer merely know about God, but to actually know God in the transforming power of his love and thus to become truly wise.