Sunday, February 6, 2022

 

THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Isaiah 6:1-3.3-8; I Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11)

Before his conversion, Augustine was divided. He wanted to live chastely, but he didn't want to give up sex. He knew the need to change his life, but he couldn't garner the strength to do it. One day he was in a garden feeling miserable because of his indecision. Through his tears he heard what he later described as the voice of a child. (It was really the voice of God.) The voice exhorted him to pick up the book and read. Augustine looked for the New Testament that he had brought with him. It was open to the Letter to the Romans. He read: “not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.”  Augustine didn't need any more incentive to decide. With these words he promised to be baptized.

Augustine had an experience of God. Simon Peter has the same in the gospel today. After fishing all night without taking anything, Jesus asks him to let down the nets again. When he does, Simon and his companions catch an amazing number of fish. Knowing that he is in the presence of a man of God, Simon throws himself at Jesus' feet. He reacts like the prophet Isaiah in the first reading. "Depart from me, Lord,” he says, “for I am a sinful man!"

It is always like this in an encounter with God. The person recognizes that she or he has come across a being of such great virtue that the person feels overwhelmed. In fact, he wants to disappear. However, God does not produce the phenomenon to destroy the person but to recruit him. He wants the recruit to carry his message to others. Aware of God's love, the person is ready to leave not only vices but, like Simon, everything!

We are not likely to have an overwhelming experience of God. One reason is that such experiences are rare. Another reason is that we are more drawn to science to explain amazing phenomena like a huge catch of fish or a sunset. (However, for many the birth of a baby may still take their breath away.) We more likely sense God's presence in everyday life. We see God in the dedication of the nuns to educate children. Or perhaps we see God controlling the human conscience that judges the correctness of acts almost always in the same way. Even scientists have to ponder whether it is not because of God that the principles of nature favor the creation of life.

Like Peter in the gospel and Paul in the second reading we have to respond to God with commitment. Young people should consider religious or priestly life. In our world of self-indulgence, sisters, brothers and priests point out to all that the good does not consist in pleasures but in true love. The marriage commitment not only reflects the love of God but also facilitates the development of children. Yes, grandma can guide a girl to have a decent life, but that outcome is not likely. Unfortunately, we no longer think of being single as a vocation. However, committed singles can play a huge role in community development. Mr. Cornell Maier served as the head of one of the largest corporations in the world. When he retired, he spent his time as an assistant in the neonatal intensive care unit. Mr. Maier once said that he was so successful because as a single man he had more control over his time.

Sometimes monks joke about the voice of God. They say that the bell calling them to the dining room is the voice of God. It is not. The voice of God always asks us for commitment. It is like the cry of a newborn to his mother. It assures us of God’s presence, and it calls us to commitment.

No comments: