First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-2a.3-8/Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138:1-2a.2bcd-3.4-5.7c-8 (R. 1b) Second Reading: I Corinthians 15:1-11/Gospel Acclamation: Mt. 4:19/Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
Theme: The Call And The Response
Each one of us has been called by God and saved by his redeeming grace. However, we have a role to play to make salvation our ultimate goal. This is to be achieved through cooperating with God and his grace daily. We cooperate with God by responding faithfully to his call. This means that vocation is not just a call, it is also a response! When we respond to God’s call, we come to know him better. When we come to know God better, we come to know who we really are! Today’s readings point us to this fact, and we learn that God calls us from sin into holiness, bondage into freedom, darkness into light, despondency into hope, sadness into joy, nowhere to somewhere, nothingness to somethingness, zero to hero(ine), grass to grace and death to life.
It is this amazing grace which changes a sinner into a saint and a murderer into an apostle. Thus, in the first reading, Isaiah is called to be the prophet of God. Isaiah himself says: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Is. 6:5). St. Peter the apostle says a similar thing in the Gospel: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Lk. 5:8). In addition, St. Paul, in the second reading, recounts the power of God’s grace to change things for the better, and speaks about its effect in his own vocation in the following words: “For I am least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God” (I cor. 15:9). He adds: “But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain” (I Cor. 15:10). Thus, when God calls, he gives grace to equip us for the task.
Grace is God’s own gift to us. The grace of God is able to locate us wherever we are, in whatever situation we find ourselves – good or bad. The grace of God has the capacity to displace our disgrace, and that is why Isaiah is sanctified and duly assured thus: “Behold, this [burning coal] has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven” (Is. 6:7). So, let us not be afraid to respond to God. Like Isaiah, let us dispose ourselves to God’s grace. When we do so, we will be confident and firm enough to respond to God thus: “Here am I! Send me” (Is. 6:8).
God can change us also if we surrender to him. In the Gospel, Peter surrenders to the summons of Christ: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Lk. 5:4). The response of Peter is didactic: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets” (Lk. 5:5). We surrender through faith, a faith that believes and has eyes which see beyond the seeming impossible! So, when Peter believes what Jesus says, the ‘impossible’ happens, namely, the great catch of fish which fills two boats to sinking (cf. Lk. 5:6-7). Miracles abound daily for the person of faith and the eyes which see what others do not and cannot see!
Furthermore, ingredients such as humility, prayer, obedience, readiness and preparedness to try again, are very important qualities needed to respond to God’s call. For example, Peter is already exhausted by his professional all-night fishing in the cold, dark and turbulent sea. In spite of this, he is ever ready to try again. There is a common poem always sung in primary schools which goes like this: Try again, if at first you don’t succeed, try again …Then your courage should appear. Never fear; try again! We must never ever give up nor give in! We may be seconds and inches away from our blessings, and only a confident trust will reach the desired target.
Also, we need not be discouraged in the face of seeming hopelessness. Peter had toiled all night but caught not even a single fish. He could have allowed despondency and distraction to stop him since he was genuinely tired and the circumstances were simply unfavourable. Yet, the undying and invincible spirit of Peter will not permit him to give in to despair. He never threw in the towel nor thought the time was not opportune to take a step. He just allowed himself to try again based on the strength of Jesus’ word. He never allowed opportunity and grace to slip away.
Finally, Peter and his companions, the sons of Zebedee, James and John leave everything to follow Jesus (Lk. 5:8-11). By their example, we learn of a higher call, the call of God to follow him closely, to imitate him more fully and to be configured to his person and mind. With this, our minds begin to think the things of God; our hearts begin to beat with the heart beat of God; our words and actions begin to flow from godly convictions, we begin to see things as God sees them and we begin to love like God. Unshakeable faith and complete trust in God can lead us to discover these things. Perhaps, we need to be reminded of the great words in the song: “Trust and Obey.” It says: When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way. While we do his good will, he abides with us still; and with all who will trust and obey.
Sometimes, faced with the enormity of workload in the vineyard of God, and the false sense of our ‘seeming’ achievement, we think we are able by our own intelligence, wisdom and power to accomplish the things we do. However, St. Paul sees this as the ability God gives him. He says: “But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me” (I Cor. 15:10). True faith involves total surrender of the self, will and all we are and all we have into God’s hands. It is a complete letting go and letting God. Surely, if we know this fact, we would come to believe that the grace of God will not take us where it cannot help us. We may be weak and insignificant, but God’s grace can operate in us if we surrender.
Beloved in Christ, Isaiah’s vocation as a prophet, and Paul, Peter, James and John’s as apostles of Christ, should encourage us to respond positively to God. As unworthy, imperfect and frail as they are, God still chooses them for his work, and reveals himself to them. Indeed, God does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called. If we let God, he will purify and do wonders through, in, and with us. God wants to mediate his grace through us. He does so using our talents and gifts. There is no one too ‘useless’ to be chosen by God. Neither is there anybody too busy to create time and space for God in their lives. All God expects from us is a sincere fiat, a true yes!
Today in our world, life-long commitments seem to be a disinterested venture. Relationships and marriages are breaking down, religious vows are being broken, single adults are afraid to commit themselves to a life-long married bond, and the youth are confused as to the proper vocation and profession to pursue. At best, we see many professionals who are neither happy nor fulfilled in their present chosen fields of endeavour. For some, money is the factor which determines the type of vocation to choose. For others too, vocation is just doing functions or duties without any willingness, love, patience and preparation. For this reason, St. Peter says: “Shepherd the flock which God has entrusted to you, guarding it not out of obligation but willingly for God’s sake; not as one looking for a reward but with a generous heart” (I Pet. 5:2).
All we have to know is that every call demands a response, an appropriate and adequate response! Vocation is sometimes not clear, but we must trust God for his guidance and help. Happy Sunday and may God bless us! Remember: #The-Call-And-The-Response#
