LIFE IS ALL GRACE
Our human and Christian life is all grace. No one is worthy of God’s call, but he calls, he prepares and perfects them to be worthy of his mission for them. Truly, as priests or pastors, pastoral agents or Christians, we were never called by God because we are perfect beings.
No. Our encounter with God evokes two feelings: unworthiness and a sense of grace at work in you. It is all grace and nothing but grace that calls us to God. It is grace that prepares and makes us for the mission of Christ as witnesses to the Kingdom of God.
THE GRACE OF SINFULNESS AND UNWORTHINESS OF THOSE CALLED BY GOD
It is beautiful to see the characteristics of sinfulness and unworthiness in the life and person of all those called by God. A true vocation comes with a deep sense of unworthiness to respond to the calling of God.
The joyful truth is that God does not choose the perfect but perfect those he has chosen for his service.
GRACE TO THOSE WHOM THE LORD CALLED
The history, character and person of those whom God called into his project of evangelization and salvation and how he called them has a lot to teach us.
They were never extraordinary people but humble, simple and ordinary men and women chosen by God purely out of grace. Many of them after their encounter with God’s holiness and glory in their lives, came to recognize their sinfulness genuinely.
It is fundamental to note and know that holiness before God is not a life without sins, defects or failures. It means a life of being set apart by the grace of God. Clearly, it means also that despite their human weaknesses and vulnerabilities, the grace of God would be sufficient for them.
OUR VOCATION IS GRACE
Hence, it is all grace and nothing else in the Christian life and vocation. As such, the most appropriate song for our liturgical celebration today is AMAZING GRACE.
Our vocational calling as Christians, priests, religious or faithful martial or single life is a call of grace. St Paul articulated this when he affirms that, where sin abounds, grace abounds much more Romans 5:20.
The readings of this Sunday present us with Isaiah, Paul and Peter’s divine encounter with the Lord of Glory and the feeling of unworthiness before his presence.
In essence, the priestly, religious, martial and Christian vocations are not but purely the grace of God. In fact, this should lead us to humbly admittance that we are nothing without the grace and mercy of God.
There is nothing we were, are or would be that is not but the grace of God acting or working through us. We would have been the greatest of sinners if not for the grace of God. Hence, we can never be boastful in ourselves, but in God whose, grace makes us worthy to be who we are today.
OUR THEME
Today’s readings emphasise two solid points: whenever we are in God’s presence or service, we are confronted with our sense of unworthiness. They also clearly point out who we are and what we realise as priests and faithful due to God’s grace alive and working in us.
Hence, there is no room to feel or live proud as if all is our merit or worthiness. Equally, we cannot live with the sense or attitude of being “holier than thou”. Nor can we live judging, criticising or condemning others for their imperfections or errors.
The readings of this Sunday present us with the divine encounter of Isaiah, Paul and Peter with the Lord of Glory and their feeling of unworthiness before his presence. The three readings tell us about the theophany of God working in a significant way. That is, in the lives of those God chose and called in human history.
God’s holiness and glory are revealed to us in our sinfulness. Isaiah and Peter felt the same when God chose them as instruments to bring salvation to others like them.
WE WERE NOT CALLED SAINTS
It is evidently clear that God does not call us saints, angels or holy people. He often calls sinful men and women in need of salvation, mercy and grace to be his salvation instruments in the world.
Likewise, God will not send us as saints, angels or holy people to preach the kingdom of grace, mercy and repentance. There is always a danger for a sanctimonious or religious person to look down on those with weaknesses.
Obviously, Christ wants men and women with weaknesses or vulnerabilities. Those who can sympathise and empathise with the failings of others who struggle like them.
God has always called men and women of no significance. However, his grace and glory raised these simple and humble men or women who knew their limitations before God and men. Men and women acknowledged their sinfulness and unworthiness but were open to the grace and mercy to act in their lives. This is the story or history of our human salvation.
The readings remind us of this salvific truth about God. That is, God chooses men and women who are humble enough to acknowledge and admit they are sinful. People who feel inadequate know that the grace of God makes them whole and worthy to heed his call.
In other words, there is a sense of divine restoration through the grace and mercy of God, and it is what strengthens or encourages us to face God despite our sinfulness or unworthiness.
FIRST READING: ISAIAH 6:1-8
Prophet Isaiah, after seeing and experiencing the theophanic vision of the glory and holiness of God: humbly declared, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.”
In other words, Isaiah saw his own wretchedness before the holiness of God. He saw himself as a sinful person unworthy of the presence of God, yet, the grace and mercy of God assured him of God working through him.
Additionally, when Isaiah recognised and admitted to his sinfulness or unworthiness.
The admittance makes God purify him of all his inquiries, as there was a divine touch from the Holy Seraph that cleaned him from his guilt and sins. He was empowered to respond with readiness to be sent by God.
Hence, Isaiah responded to the call of God with enthusiasm. He has been purified by the grace of God.
Interestingly, the self-righteous individuals are outside the grace, mercy, and salvation of God. It is those who are humble to admit to their vulnerabilities, inadequacies and weaknesses that experience the mercies of God.
Isaiah was adequately prepared to face the task of God for him after he was purified by grace. Our Christian faith and experience teach us that it is the choice of God to call not the holy, great and wonderful but the humble, ordinary and sinful people. It is a divine demonstration that God can use anything or transform anyone into a viable instrument of salvation.
PSALM 137 OR 138
The psalmist invites us to acknowledge the Lord with thanksgiving in the presence of the holy angels. He affirms: in the sight of the angels, I will sing your praises, Lord.
This is a song of praise from someone that God has chosen despite his sinfulness or unworthiness. There is holistic or complete salvation from the grace and mercy of God.
When we experience this holistic restoration of God amid our unworthiness. We cannot but sing and praise God for his unmerited work of salvation in us.
In summary, the psalmist recognizes the mercy of God over him and offers a prayer of gratitude for just such a calling.
SECOND READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11
Today, St. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian Christians, testified on how God works in human history and the journey of faith of his people, especially him. He declared that all he was, is and would be are for the grace and mercy of God. For I am… not fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God. Nevertheless, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them. Though not I, but the grace of God that is with me.¨
Paul judges himself to be unworthy of the name apostle or the call to follow Christ, as he was a former persecutor of the Christians. Yet, he was the last apostle selected by the Risen Lord Himself. Hence, Paul acknowledged, “I am the least of the apostles.”
The conversion of Paul was through a theophanic revelation of Jesus Christ himself to him on his way to Damascus to prosecute the Christians. It is one of the humble experiences in the life of Paul as it was a life-changing moment for Paul as he would make allusion to it, two in the course of his ministry.
The ambitious religious lifestyle of Paul and the encounter with Christ that led to his conversion to Christianity made him understand that life and existence in Christ are pure grace. In fact, the whole of Pauline teaching, theology and spirituality is summed up in one word: grace.
THE GOSPEL: LUKE 5:1-11
Today’s gospel is the call of the apostle Peter dramatically and humbly. It is best virtually presented by the movie series The Chosen, a television drama based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. A self-funded television series created, directed, and co-written by American filmmaker Dallas Jenkins.
PETER’S CONDITION AND JESUS’ INTERVENTION
- The way, scenes of the life of Peter before encountering Christ as Portrayed by the movie.
- It shows that Peter’s life was nothing, but a crisis of faith and values.
- At the peak of his frustration, a night before encountering Christ.
- Peter was made to question the promises of God to Israel alongside the generational pains of the Jews, like the treatment of Israel living under Roman oppression in his days.
- Hence, Jesus chose the right spot and moment to intervene in the life of Peter.
- It was after a long night of frustration and hopelessness. Jesus clearly and intentionally borrowed the boat of Peter to teach the crowd.
- Possibly Peter must have listened disinterestedly to the teaching of Christ.
- Perhaps, he was preoccupied with worries about what was next.
- On how he was going to fend for his family and at the same time, pay off his numerous tax debts to the Roman authorities.
PUT OUT INTO THE DEEP WATER
The setting of The Chosen makes it look like Jesus gave a short teaching to face Peter and his predicaments. He was not a fisherman, but he invited Peter to go out into the deep water to catch with absolute certainty.
With the personality or character of Peter, he must have laughed at Jesus. May thinking aloud to himself, what this preacher knows about fishing. Thus, we see him reluctant or with hesitancy unmotivated to do what Jesus asked of him.
Anyone who knows the science or technique of fishing knows that fishing at that time Jesus told Peter to cast the net was a fruitless effort.
However, Peter did obey Jesus after he registered his frustration with Christ. Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing yet if, you say so, I will let down the nets.
Here, Jesus invited Peter to a leap of faith despite the frustration and hopelessness. One of the tragedies or disasters of most people is that they give up too soon after one effort or attempt in life.
THE CATCH AND THE CALL
Peter made a catch of fish beyond his imagination and expectation. It was a miraculous catch contrary to all science or technique of fishing. It is a moment of theophany when God in Jesus reveals his divinity to Peter.
The huge catch represents a moment of the future task of Peter’s catching of people for the Lord. Through Peter, the Church of Christ would be filled with countless members.
Hence, Jesus did capitalise on the moment to invite Peter to a fundamental cause of collaborating with him in his kingdom project.
SINFULNESS AND UNWORTHINESS
The past lifestyle of Peter, his doubt of what Jesus told him to do and possibly dismissal of Christ in his mind. These all flooded him with a deep sense of sinfulness or unworthiness.
The best part here was actually the humility of Peter to recognize his sinfulness. The theophanic revelation of God in this way in his life reset everything in his once doubtful life.
Once more, Peter, in the presence of Christ, fell to his knees and accepted, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Despite the unworthy declaration of Peter, the Loving Lord with encouraging and strengthening words makes him respond generously to his calling.
OUR VOCATION
Humbly, Peter admitted his unworthiness and inadequacies. Yet, God chose him to be his collaborator and catcher of men. We do not need to be saintly, angelic or perfect to respond to the call of God.
Fundamentally, it is established that the purpose of Christian, religious and priestly vocations is to bring people closer to Christ. Thus, it is paramount to have men and women with weaknesses. Those who will be capable of feeling, relating and connecting to others with failings or struggles of others like them.
Truly, it takes only one with weaknesses and vulnerabilities to comprehend others going through the same struggles and failures.
Finally, God does not need saints, angels or holy people to bearers of Christ in the world, He needs broken men and women by sins, weaknesses, failures and struggles. Those who know their limitations or inadequacies and still submit themselves to complete through grace what is lacking in them.
MAIN POINTS OF OUR REFLECTION
There is always a theophany of God that reveals himself before he calls us to commit ourselves to him. This manifestation of the holiness of God exposes our sinfulness in need of salvation, mercy and grace.
Hence, our vocations: Christian, martial, religious or priestly are nothing but the grace of God. Life as it is all grace. This is the pillar of Pauline theology and spirituality.
God uniquely calls us with no pre-conditions of what, who or how we should be, but just our disposition to cooperate with his grace and mercy.
God is a God of surprises. We can never predict where, when or how we can meet Him. Or He will meet us in life. It is a challenge for us not to look for God in the great, magnificent or extraordinary things. The historical manifestation of theophany, God, we often seek him in simple and ordinary things. As well as in the ordinariness of those we see around us.
It was by giving these three men a deep conviction of their unworthiness and of their need for total dependence on the grace of God that prepared them for their missions.
AMAZING GRACE
Today’s readings invite us to sing Amazing Grace. You are my Amazing Grace, and how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like us, we once were lost, but now am found T’was blind, but now we see. May your grace and mercy make us worthy to worship you like Isaiah, serve you like Paul and follow you like Peter. And may that grace be sufficient for me in our weaknesses.
The Prophet Isaiah and Apostles Paul and Peter felt God’s calling amidst unworthiness and acknowledged their sinfulness before the One who called them. Thus, they experienced the fullness of God’s grace in and over their lives as his instruments.
There is a pattern of grass to grace in God’s scheme of work when he calls to a Christian life of service in the Church.
- He calls crude, raw, and unworthy with many imperfections.
- He forms, purifies, refines or moulds us into perfect instruments for his mission for us.
- He sends out to the wide world after our formations and preparations.
- It is then that God’s grace comes alive in us.
- We can bear authentic Christian testimony as priests or faithful.
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS
How often am I ready to open myself to the theophanic revelation of God in my life?
Do I know or see my unworthiness and admit my sinfulness before God?
Despite your inadequacies and vulnerabilities, are you ready to submit yourself to the grace of God?
Do you know God does not call us saints, angels and holy people but repentant sinners who know God’s mercy and grace?
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, grant me the humility to see and recognise my sense of worthiness in your presence, my Christian living and service to God and others. May we live out the Christian calling, life and its testimony acknowledging the GRACE OF GOD working through our human weaknesses. May your grace help us with the same GRACE to respond to our respective vocations as Christians: priests, religious, martial or single life with courage and humility to serve you and others. Amen
