Word to the Wise
Sunday, February 10, 2019 - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Isa 6:1-2a, 3-8; 1 Cor 15:1-11 or 15:3-8, 11; Luke 5:1-11]SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2019 FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
[Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11]
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “Send me!” [Isaiah]
This weekend I am beginning a parish mission in Yuma, AZ at St. Francis of Assisi Parish. The theme of the mission is taken from the words of Isaiah: “Here I am. Send me.” All three scriptures assigned for the liturgy this weekend speak to a call from God. Isaiah’s vision is rather scary and powerful. St. Paul’s story is well-known about his encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus. The story of the big catch of fish and being called “fishers of men” is familiar to us as well. These all may seem dramatic and lead us to believe that this is the only way one may be called to speak for the Lord. However, we have all received a similar call when we were baptized!
My aim at this mission is to help the participants to realize that their baptism is not an event of the past that occurred when they were babies (or even if they were adults), for which we occasionally had to provide proof in the form of a baptismal certificate. Baptism is a power in the present that calls us and enables us to bear witness to the Word of God. It is a call to love, heal and forgive just as Jesus did. Isaiah, Paul and Peter all thought they were unworthy of such a commission. That might be our reaction as well, but it is God’s grace in baptism that will enable us. We don’t have to go to a foreign land to be a missionary. We may need only go next door or turn to the person standing next to us! If we pray, learn the Word of God, love and serve our neighbor, we are fulfilling the commitment given to us in baptism. I hope I can share this well with the folks in Yuma at St. Francis of Assisi Parish. Please pray for the mission. AMEN.
[Note to those who read my “daily reflection” at First Impressions. There was an interruption because of an Internet problem. My apologies. You can find the reflections you missed at my website:
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
123 ms
4
