Is. 6:1-2a, 3-8; 1 Cor. 15:1-11; Lk. 5:1-11
In a vision, Isiah was given to see the glory of God dwelling in the Temple of Jerusalem. He heard the angels praising God. In his vision, Isiah saw how an angel took a live coal from the fire on the altar, and touched his lips with it. Isiah understood that by so doing, God was cleansing him of his sins, so as to render him fit to be his messenger. Strengthened by this act of God’s goodness, Isiah readily offered himself for the work God was calling him to: “Here I am, send me,”
Acts of the Apostles tells the story of Paul’s call. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed
around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.In a moment, Paul became
aware of his utter spiritual misery. Momentarily he became blind. He allowed himself
to be taken to the town.
The Gospel reading narrates
the call of Peter. Andrew had brought Simon to Jesus at the Jordan river. John
tells us that before Simon could utter a single word, “Jesus fixed his eyes on
him and changed his name into Peter.
The responses of Isaiah,
Paul and Peter were surprising. The prophet Isaiah viewed himself as a great sinner
among sinners, and worthy of being in the Divine Presence of Yahweh. Paul, still full of guilt for having
persecuted the Christians, viewed himself as being unfit of being called an apostle. And Peter begged Jesus to get away from him
because he was a sinful man.
God responded to their feeling of sinfulness by
cleansing them of their sins, and by reassuring them of his help at all times.
Once reassured by God they went through their task humbly and courageously, enduring
innumerable trials, always convinced that God would make up for their weakness.
Jack London wrote about another compelling call in his
1903 novel The Call of the Wild. Multiple film adaptations of the book follow
the adventures of a dog, Buck, that is kidnapped and then brought north to
Canada to be exploited as a sled dog. Buck is loyal and heeds the call of his
final kind and trustworthy owner, John Thornton. But ultimately, Buck follows
the call of his primordial instinct and learned experience as a sled dog to
emerge as a leader in the wild among a pack of wolves. Calls are powerful in
animals and humans. The most awesome call is the one from God.
Today, God is calling
us to do His work, regardless of whatever setbacks we may have, to accomplish
His intended mission. Follow the voice of Jesus’ calling and answer, “Here am
I, oh Lord, use me in your service today.”
We can sometimes feel unworthy of the call from God,
but that’s okay! When a person becomes keenly aware of his utter dependence on
God, his unworthiness, and God’s infinite mercy, he is on a holy path to a greater
intimacy with the source of his life. God called and continues to call some
unworthy characters: King David, Mary Magdalene, the penitent thief at Our
Lord’s Crucifixion. It gives us great confidence that we should accept the call
of God. We are called by our baptism to follow the Lord, and we are purified,
regularly in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Satish