February 10, 2013

Bulletin February 10, 2013

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Isaiah 6:1-2, 3-8, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:-11
On this last weekend before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, I look at myself and reflect on how I feel about me. The answer seldom changes when I do this. No matter what positive or negative mood I am in I always feel that they is so much farther that I have to go in my relationship with the Lord and how lacking and uninspiring I am in spreading the Good News of God’s love. But I’m not alone in this…most people in their spiritual journey feel they haven’t even begun to be the people that they feel they need to be and what God wants them to be.

Enter the readings today, Isaiah, Paul and certainly Peter feel the same way.

• Isaiah said, “Woe is me, I am doomed? For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts!”
  
• Paul told the Corinthians, “Last of all, as to one born abnormally, He appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
  
• Peter fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
  

I look at these three giants and say, ‘I don’t have a chance.’ What good am I? What am I doing that is any good? Am I progressing or regressing? Is there any hope?’ Yes there is hope and I’m looking at me and not at the Lord. I think the readings this week come at a very opportune time. They have a positive message for me in my life and can help me in the direction of my spiritual life this Lent. So often Lent has conjured up thoughts, feelings and devotions that reinforce my unworthiness and my inability to do anything positive for the Lord. They also lead me to giant ‘beating myself up’ feelings. Let is directed so often to me and not to the Lord.
The readings today tell me that I have a vocation to live a holy life. Isaiah, Paul, Peter have been called by God to serve Him in special ways. But there isn’t a person ever created who has not received the same call. An angel touched the lips of Isaiah with a burning ember so he could speak to the people. Paul says that his conversion from persecution to God’s ‘champion’ was all from the Lord. And Peter was to be a ‘fisher of men.’ This was their vocation.
My vocation is responding to the call of priesthood. My friend, Sr. Berenice- has responded to the call of being a religious sister for 70 + years. There are so many wonderful people God has placed in my life who have responded to live out their vocations in the married life. These are tremendous people of faith. So many don’t say this, but deep down realize that they have created a ‘partnership’ of sorts with the Lord in raising their children and helping each other through the drudgery of daily living. Other wonderful people live out their lives in the single sphere bringing their care and concern to others. Each has a role in God’s kingdom. Each has been blessed in so many ways, ‘if I could only count the ways’ and I can’t. They all have a commonality: they are loving people and to be a loving person they have to realize that they are loved; by others, of course, but especially by God. How does the devil tempt us all? By making us feel we are not doing enough; or we are horrible people; or we are taking maybe one step forward and at least two or three or more backwards. THIS IS JUST NOT TRUE!

While feeling that I am at a ‘dead end’ in my life and especially my spiritual life and that I can’t go any further; I must listen to what God is saying. He loves me; He loves all; He thanks each one for spreading what I and others feel is nothing; but to God is all wonderful and special. Fr. Anthony Kadavil in Teaching and Preaching Resources says it powerfully to me, “The fact of the matter is, in the spiritual life there are no dead-ends. They don’t exist. Their apparent existence is but an illusion. Put another way, our stories are not over. The last pages have not been written. And yet, what I am advocating is more than just a reiteration of ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, and try again.’ No, that saying implies that the good things in life, the things we want to achieve and experience will only happen exclusively through our own efforts. Today’s Gospel passage reveals something altogether different.

You see, God seems to be inviting us to embrace two things. One--- to always hold out hope that the best things are yet to come, provided we have the trust and courage to move beyond what is comfortable, familiar, and safe – to ‘step out of our vehicles and press on’, (in keeping with the same metaphor). In this sense, it does involve not giving up or throwing in the towel. It requires something of us, a commitment and an action on our part.

The big difference however (and the second part of God’s invitation) is that we don’t dare go it alone --- we can’t and we shouldn’t. Rather, as we continue our journey (in faith) through each apparent dead-end, we do so with the Lord at our side, with Jesus in our boat – heeding His advice, His guidance and His inspiration. And like Simon Peter, what await us are things beyond our wildest imaginations, experiences we can only dream of.” This is faith. This is why God created me and each person. The bumper sticker of long ago survives forever, ‘God doesn’t make junk.” God makes each person in love and loves and gifts them; me and you. So what do I need; be thankful for all; bring the troubles to the Lord and rest in His peace. To paraphrase Pope John XXIII‘s night prayer, ‘It’s been a very busy day, I’m going to sleep, You take care of my messes and my joys and turn them into Your way for all. So I reflect on:

• What does it mean to me when I say “Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” Do I believe that God can and want to do this?
• On our own, we can only go so far. With God, who knows what’s around the next corner? Am I willing to ‘let go, and let God and go with Him?’
• What call from God might I be resisting today?
• Ugo Betti said, “To believe in God is to know that all the rules will be fair and there will be wonderful surprises.”
• Lord, help this Lent to be a time to reflect on the gifts with which you have blessed me. Let it be a time that I am grateful. Let it be a daily ‘task’ of sharing and loving. Thank You. Amen.