Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C
Isaiah 6:1–2a, 3–8
Psalm 138:1–2, 2–3, 4–5, 7–8
1 Corinthians 15:1–11
Luke 5:1–11
Isaiah manifests an enthusiasm for God’s word that inspires His people across many generations. The Book of the Prophet Isaiah encompasses three stages of the life of Israel: the time of the kingdom, exile and the years following exile. A scroll of Isaiah is the most treasured discovery among the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran.
The sixth chapter of Isaiah takes us into the very throne room of God. We are invited to stand with the prophet as he acknowledges his unworthiness and ours to be in God’s Presence. We are also offered the deep awareness of God’s power to purify our unclean lips. We can almost feel the burning ember brought to the lips of Isaiah.
The prophet’s spontaneous response to God’s question, “Whom shall I send?” offers us an example and an invitation to join him in the proclamation of the word of God. “Here I am, send me!”
Isaiah’s vision takes us into the heavenly realm, where all that happens on earth is decided. After his call and response, Isaiah is thoroughly engaged in his world. His words – as the word of God proclaimed – affected the political situation of his time and were so powerful that they were written on scrolls and carried with the people. They have been handed on to us.
A few weeks ago, we saw Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth proclaiming the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah. Now we see Jesus again, this time in Peter’s boat and in Paul’s experience of the risen Lord at the end of a long line of witnesses. The respective encounters between Peter and Paul and the Lord show us that Jesus’ mission continues to establish the link between heaven and earth.
Both Peter and Paul have their own stories of sin and grace. Their resistance to God’s touch due to their human weakness and in the end the faithful witness they gave through their martyrdom – Peter on a cross, Paul by the sword – show the power of the Gospel to transform lives.
God’s word is living. It flows from God and into the world. Even in our times, we can discover the power of that word. It clears away the blindness caused by sin. It purifies the heart that is open to receive it. It opens the lips of the one who is purified to proclaim it to the world.
We often experience the feeling that we have, like Peter, “worked hard all night but caught nothing.” Like Paul, we come to realize that our narrow way of thinking can stand in the way of our fulfillment of God’s will in our lives. Their witness gives us courage to believe that we can still find a way to move forward in our life with Christ.
It is important to acknowledge the sinful state of the world and our own failure to live in accord with God’s plan for His people. But it is even more important to allow the power of God to purify and heal us. God makes available to us many “embers,” the burning coals that wipe away our sins and free us to respond to His grace.
The New Evangelization called for by Pope Francis and his predecessors invites us to show new zeal, new ardor and to make use of new means to share the Gospel with the world. Our lives must keep in view our destination. “In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.” But we must also be open to the grace that is offered to us in the midst of the world to become proclaimers of the word.
“Here I am!” implies standing firmly with our feet on the ground, aware of the limitations that remain in our way. “Send me!” is a cry of the heart that opens to the action of grace and admits a willingness to be transformed. With Isaiah, Peter and Paul, and with all prophets and proclaimers of the word of the Lord, we want to be ready to claim the world for Christ. God’s own zeal is at work in us.