First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8;
Psalm: Psalm 138
Second Reading: 1 Cor 15: 1-11;
Gospel: Luke 5: 1-11
The liturgy of the Word today relates the vocations of three men: Isaiah, Peter and Paul. In each case the divine call is preceded by a manifestation of the divine. Before God entrusts a special mission to a man, He reveals Himself. Marvelous was the revelation of God to Isaiah. He saw the Lord sitting upon a throne and lifted up. Around Him were the seraphim knelling in adoration and singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.” Isaiah trembles before the holiness of God and feels himself impure and unworthy to stand in God’s presence. God does not cast him away, instead He calls him. He hears the Lord’s voice addressing him, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Promptly Isaiah responds, “Here am I, send me.” The Church recalls this scene in every mass. Before reading the gospel, the priest silently asks God to cleanse his lips that he may worthily proclaim the Word.
The pattern of Paul’s call is not different. In the second reading, St. Paul speaks to us of his vocation to be herald of the mystery of Christ. Paul was persecuting Christians and was on mission to imprison them when suddenly Christ revealed Himself to him. The vision of Christ he saw so overwhelmed him that for the rest of his life, he considered himself not only the least of the Apostles, but not fit to be called an apostle. Man cannot by his own decision assume divine mission, but if God calls him, even his unworthiness and past cannot be a hindrance or an excuse for holding back.
The circumstances of Peter’s call in the Gospel of Luke are also not different. It took place not in the temple as with Isaiah, but on the lake where he and his companions made their living. After preaching from Peter’s boat, Jesus ordered him, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon answered Him, “Master, we worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” His obedience rewarded for they caught so many fish that their nets began to break, and their boat was filled to the point they were in danger of sinking. When Peter saw this marvel, like Isaiah he was so overwhelmed that he fell to his knees saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Just as in the case of Isaiah, the Lord does not depart from him, instead, He calls him, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
In these three different calls, we see the same pattern. First, there is a divine manifestation. Faced with God’s revelation of Himself, man becomes aware of the contrast of his wretchedness and nothingness, and he feels a deep need to humble himself. Divine mission is accompanied by the attitude of humility and availability which is the foundation of every response to God’s call. Our own call may not be as dramatic as that of Isaiah or Paul or Peter, but it is always the same pattern: it begins with God’s initiative. First, God manifests Himself, man recognizes his unworthiness and disposes himself and God uses him. God reveals Himself to us in the ordinariness of our daily life just as Peter fishing. Our past and unworthiness cannot be a hindrance to His call.
Jesus continues to address those words to us, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” These words carry profound implications that resonate throughout our Christian life, calling us to mission and to trust in divine guidance. At its core, is the necessity of faith, trust and obedience in the life of a disciple. After a night of unsuccessful fishing, Peter was reluctant to try again because humanly speaking, it will be a waste of time and effort, but he obeyed and what a great catch they made. The command to “Put out into the deep water” is a missionary mandate for the entire Church. At the close of the Jubilee year 2000 and the turn of the new millennium, St. John Paul II, published the Apostolic Letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte, and used the phrase, “Duc in altum” which translates, “Put into the deep,” to call the Church to look forward with confidence and enthusiasm as it entered the New Millennium. It signifies the call to overcome our fears and mediocrity and be more active in evangelism not relying on our powers or intellect but on the grace of God who has called us. If like Isaiah, Peter and Paul, we only trust and obey, we will be amazed by the wonders God will accomplish through us.
Happy Sunday,
Fr. Chidi Onwuka, m.ss.cc.