First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-2A, 3-8
Reflection:
Isaiah’s vision recorded in this Sunday’s first reading reveals much about God, Heaven, and us. Isaiah saw the throne room of God in Heaven. There God’s presence was all-consuming. Isaiah witnessed the seraphim, who are angels, praising God, saying without end, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” Do you recognize those words? We repeat them every Mass in the Sanctus during the Liturgy of the Eucharist when we say, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory…” When you say those words in the Mass, remember that you are repeating the prayer of the angels proclaimed around the clock in Heaven. Furthermore, the repetition of “holy” three times reminds us that God is a Trinity of three divine persons–the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When Isaiah encountered the holy presence of God, His response was recognition of his unworthiness. In the presence of perfect holiness, the parts of Isaiah’s life that were unholy were brought to the light. Isaiah’s acknowledgement of his sins resulted in the angel bringing an ember from the altar and touching his lips. This cleansed Isaiah of his sins. Made holy by the mercy of God, Isaiah was then sent out on mission. The Lord called him and Isaiah responded with utter willingness: “Here I am. Send me.” As a result, God worked through Isaiah in amazing ways.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Reflection:
What is the gospel? We hear that word all the time in the Church, but what does it mean? Literally, the word gospel means “good news.” Here the Apostle Paul defines the core of the gospel: “Christ died for our sins…he was buried…[and] he was raised on the third day.” Sometimes a word used to refer to this central message of our Catholic faith is the kerygma. It’s derived from a Greek word meaning “to proclaim.” The kerygma is the central proclamation of our faith, and is equivalent to the gospel message. The good news is that God became one of us in Jesus in order to die for our sins, and he proved his power over sin and death by rising from the dead. Through these events, we can have salvation from our sins! That is not only “good news,” it is the best news we could ever receive! Furthermore, these central facts of our faith are grounded in historical reality. The resurrected Jesus was witnessed by more than five hundred people, along with all the Apostles. These witnesses then went on to proclaim Jesus risen from the dead all over the world and most went to their deaths as martyrs as a result. Thus, there is no reason to doubt their claims. Our faith in Jesus’ saving act of dying and rising is grounded in historical fact. He even appeared to the Apostle Paul after He had ascended into heaven. Thus, we can rely on these realities and trust that salvation is available to us through Jesus. He can save us from even the worst of sins, as He did in the Apostle Paul’s case. Paul had persecuted the Church to the point of approving the killing of Christians. But by God’s grace he was cleansed of those sins and became a great leader in the Church.
Gospel Reading: Luke 5:1-11
Reflection:
In this Sunday’s gospel reading, we hear the calling of the Apostles Peter (called Simon here and “Cephas” in the second reading), James, and John. These men would become the closest disciples of Jesus and the leaders of the early church. At the time of their encounter with Jesus, however, they were mere fishermen. Jesus invited Peter to trust Him by going out again to fish. Peter was a professional fisherman who had been working all night and had caught nothing. How could Jesus know where to find the fish? But Peter trusted Jesus anyways and obeyed His directions. As a result, they miraculously caught more fish than they could handle. This revealed Jesus’ power and holiness to Peter, James, and John. Peter’s reaction was similar to Isaiah’s in the first reading. Confronted with the presence of God, Peter recognized his sinfulness, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Rather than pushing him away, Jesus invited Peter, along with James and John, to follow Him. Like with Isaiah, Jesus cleansed them of their sins and then called them on mission. Peter, James, and John responded like Isaiah with a willingness to do whatever God called them to do. After that day, their lives would never be the same, for they encountered God in the flesh. As a result, “they left everything and followed him.” This radical conversion took them down a path they never could have imagined and God worked through them to transform the world as a result.
Application:
- Like Isaiah in this Sunday’s first reading, we too are people of “unclean lips.” We sin and when confronted with God’s holiness our sins are brought to the light. Yet, if we acknowledge our sinfulness and repent, God will cleanse us and invite us to live for Him. Will you respond like Isaiah did to God’s calling on your life and say, “Here I am, Lord, send me”? Will you embrace God’s mission for your life?
