FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Isaiah 6:1-3.3-8; I Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11)
Today's readings are well known and full of meaning. They
have to do with religious experience. This phenomenon overwhelms a person with
the awareness of being in the presence of God. It confirms and deepens his
faith so that he wants to share it with others.
A man once told the story of his experience of God. He said
that his wife had just received a medical report that she had cancer. The man
felt sadness and worry when he went to his parish to close the door as was his
custom. Inside the building he stopped to pray for a few minutes. Then he felt
an arm across his shoulders and heard the words: “Don't worry; everything will
be all right.” He was at peace, and in fact his wife received treatment that
overcame her cancer.
Religious experiences are not as rare as many think. Those
who make a Cursillo de Cristiandad, an Emmaus Walk, or another type of retreat
involving testimonies of faith and moving music often sense the presence of
God. Participation in a sacrament can also become a religious experience. One
convert told the story of his confession before being received into the
Catholic Church. He said it was accompanied by many tears and the lifting of a
great burden.
With these reflections on religious experience in mind let
us look at the readings. The first is known as “the call of Isaiah.” It tells
of the experience of the prophet in the Temple of Solomon some seven hundred
years before Christ. He was praying when he had a vision of God Almighty on His
throne surrounded by smoke and smell of incense. The seraphim attending Him
began to cry out: “Holy is the Lord, God of hosts.” Isaiah trembled with fear
because he realized that he was a sinner with unclean lips in the presence of
God. He had probably told lies or eaten forbidden foods. Then he felt his lips
being cleansed by a burning coal brought to him by a seraph. And when the Lord
sought a messenger to reveal his will to the people, the prophet volunteered.
He proclaimed, “Here am I, Lord, send me.”
Is the second reading a description of a religious
experience? Probably not. Although St. Paul is telling of encounters with the
Lord, the experiences are objective, not subjective like Isaiah’s vision or the
man feeling the arm of the Lord. Religious experiences are by nature felt by
the individual or small group with no way to verify them with witnesses or
scientific instruments.
Peter in the gospel obviously has a huge catch. His
experience can be classified as religious because he infers that the catch was caused
by God. His faith in Jesus as a saint grows throughout the story. It began when
he invited him into his boat to preach. It grew so that Peter called him
“Master” when Jesus commanded him to put the boat out into the deep. And it was
confirmed in the fishery when he threw himself at Jesus’ feet, calling him
“Lord,” which means “God” or, at least, “Son of God.” From this moment until
his martyrdom, Peter dedicated himself one hundred percent to Jesus.
It seems that God allows religious experiences to strengthen
our faith commitment. Many of us would serve the Lord without experiencing his
presence in an awe-inspiring way. However, with religious experience we are
more determined to tell others about his love. The experience gives us the
conviction that our life is to be lived doing more than satisfying personal
desires. It verifies that we are sons and daughters of God destined for eternal
happiness.
