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.
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