How God calls His messengers.

HOW GOD CALLS HIS MESSENGERS

Is. 61-8; 1 Cor. 15:1-11 & Lk. 5:1-11

Falling in love can be as exciting as it can be painful.  Even after years of married life, a couple may easily remember when and where they first fell in love, but they may not find it easy to put their finger on what exactly made them fall in love.  It is not something one consciously chooses to do; it just happens.  It is an instinctive response of one who, even for a fleeting moment encounters in the other something ravishingly beautiful.  Such an encounter draws the lover outside of himself into a state of ecstasy.  Invariably, this act of falling in love leads the lover to respond by making a commitment to the beloved in marriage.

Similar observations apply to a person’s encounter with God.  In today’s readings, we hear about three people who ‘fell in love’ with God and committed themselves to His service:  the prophet Isaiah, the Apostle St. Paul and the Apostle Simon Peter.  If we reflect on these stories, we can recognise a certain pattern of events.

We know that God always loves us, and unconditionally so.  However, in order to draw us into a loving relationship with Him, He ‘kick-starts’ our response by letting us experience, even for a fleeting moment, His goodness and beauty.  This corresponds to the falling-in-love stage when the person becomes awestruck and dumbfounded at God’s goodness.  For Isaiah, the experience was a spectacular vision of God’s majesty and glory.  For St. Paul, on the road to Damascus, it was an experience of God’s dazzling light.  In the case of Simon Peter and His companions, the experience of God was the miraculous catch of fish.  These events enabled the people concerned to become captivated by God by giving each one, in a different way, a momentary glimpse of the power and beauty of God.

The immediate result of this encounter with God is that the person becomes extremely conscious of his sinfulness.  Since God is infinitely holy, any profound experience with God must leave the person with a sense of unworthiness.  We can compare our sins to the dust and dirt on a glass window pane.  Ordinarily this dirt may be hardly visible, but when the sun shines on it, every speck stands out in a conspicuous way.  The prophet Isaiah became acutely conscious of his sinful lips that he felt unworthy even in the heavenly liturgy of praising God, “Holy, holy, holy.”  St. Paul for his part confesses his sinfulness, “I am the least of the Apostles; in fact, once I persecuted the Church.  I hardly deserve the name Apostle.”  In the Gospel, Simon Peter falls at the knees of Jesus saying, “Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.”  The experience of falling in love leaves the lover feeling unworthy to possess the beloved.

The final phase of the encounter with God consists of God reassuring the sinner and inviting him to be His Apostle.  It is the same as God saying, “Do not be discouraged by your sinfulness.  I will cleanse you and do great things through you.  Will you trust Me and accept My invitation?”  The prophet Isaiah’s lips were touched by a burning coal which purged away his sins, and then God asked him to be His messenger.  St. Paul admits that by God’s grace, he is an Apostle.  Simon Peter was told by Jesus, “Do not be afraid.  From now on it is men you will catch.”

Each of the three stories ends with the person accepting God’s call to be His messenger or Apostle, entering into a closer relationship with God and sharing in His mission.

Each of us encounters God in different ways in our daily lives.  It may not always be something spectacular, but we should watch out for manifestations of God’s goodness.  It could be a beautiful sunset or a delightful piece of music, an act of kindness or an unexpected favour received. 

Holy Spirit, at moments like these where are You leading me and what do You expect of me?  Use me like You used Isaiah, Saints Paul and Peter.  If You are calling me may I accept Your invitation with courage.  Then I will grow in my relationship with You and share intimately in Your mission.

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