God is calling at all times

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Consideration for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C2

Today’s liturgy presents us with three characters; it can be said that these are the three pillars of the Church. The first is the prophet Isaiah, who is the “mouth” of God here on earth. The second is Saint Paul, a Jew, a zealous follower of his religion and persecutor of Christians. The last one is Saint Peter, a disciple of Jesus, who has become the rock and cornerstone of Christ’s Church. All three men are called by God to do His will.

Isaiah’s calling takes place “in the year of King Uzziah’s death” while he is in the temple of the Lord. Isaiah has a vision of God’s rule in eternity. God is seated on a great throne, and angels – the Seraphim – are soaring above Him, and they sing through each other: “Holy, holy, holy is the God of hosts, and the whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah, faced with such a vision of God, realizes his littleness, his uncleanness and that of the people who live on the earth. He is probably afraid of what God will do now, his heart is troubled, he feels unworthy of seeing God’s glory. Trusting in God, he waits for what will happen next. It turns out that God is merciful and gracious. He sends one of the Seraphim to take away his sins and blot out his sins with a fiery coal. Then the Lord asks who to send to the others. Isaiah answers without thinking, with great fervor and trust: “Here I am, send me.”

Other circumstances accompany Peter’s appointment as a “fisher of people”. Jesus – God Man – asks Peter to swim away from the shore of Lake Gennesaret in an empty boat after the night’s fishing, so that he can proclaim the words of God’s Love and Mercy to the gathered crowds. Probably Peter, tired of the all-night fishing and disappointed that they had not caught anything, did not want to go to the lake again, maybe he was even angry that the Master required it. But he did grant Jesus’ request. After giving the sermon, Jesus commands that we cast our nets and fish in the morning. Probably it is difficult to even imagine Piotr’s surprise at such a request. But he just says, “Master, we’ve been working all night and haven’t caught anything. But at your word, I will cast the nets. ” In doing so, he shows great trust and submission, which are rewarded with plenty of catch. Peter falls to his knees crying, “Get away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Recognizes in Jesus almighty God, His love and mercy, recognizes the abundance of His grace. Like Isaiah, he does not feel worthy of such great gifts. And like Isaiah, God calls Peter: “Don’t be afraid, from now on you will be catching people.” Here, too, the answer is immediate. Peter and his companions, “having pulled their boats ashore, left everything and went on him.”

Paul’s calling takes place after Jesus’ death. Paul and his family belonged to the party of the Pharisees, that is, the most ardent patriots and followers of the Mosaic religion. Paul regarded followers of Jesus as apostates from the faith and traitors to his nation. When he came of age, he went to the high priest and asked for letters of recommendation to the Jewish communities in Damascus. Christ appeared to him at the gates of the city, showing his light and power. He did not accuse Paul of persecution, he did not rebuke, he did not threaten or punish. He only asked, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” and he introduced himself to him, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Paul fell to the ground and was converted by God’s grace. From then on, he became a zealous follower of Jesus to proclaim His Gospel with power. He accepted God’s love and mercy and passes them on: “Christ died – according to the Scriptures – for our sins, that he was buried, that he rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures; and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the twelve, later he appeared to more than five hundred to the brothers at the same time; most of them are still alive, and some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Finally, after all, he appeared also to me as a fetus. ” Paul becomes the guardian of God’s love and mercy, he becomes a zealous advocate of Jesus’ resurrection and human redemption through God’s grace. Calling himself a miscarried fetus, that is, someone unworthy to live, Paul realizes that it is thanks to God’s grace that he can share his experience of God’s love and mercy. Thanks to the fact that he has received and humbly accepted God’s grace, he can now proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and encourage others to accept this grace.

In every situation in which God reveals himself, man on his part can only recognize his own nothingness, poverty, feel a deep need to humiliate himself. And He reveals Himself at all times and to everyone. In the face of God’s omnipotence, man is only poor dust, but realizing it is difficult and often very painful. However, if a person dares to accept God’s grace, following the example of the figures presented in today’s liturgy, then anything can happen. Both the time of Isaiah’s activity, as well as the time of Peter’s life and vocation, and the activity of Paul, were marked by various hardships, worries and dangers. This is also the case today. We just have some other kind of inconveniences, but with the power and grace of God, you can overcome them and do God’s will by proclaiming His love and mercy to your brothers and sisters.

Do I have the courage to follow Isaiah, “Here I am, send me”? Do I have the courage to leave everything like Peter and his companions and follow Jesus? Do I have the courage, despite the obstacles and difficulties of our time, to proclaim God’s love and mercy with Paul? But first one would have to ask: do I have the courage to accept God’s favors today and share them with others? …