Sunday 7th February, 2010
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time. G. Isaiah 6:1-8. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, O Lord—Ps 137(138):1-5, 7-8. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. Luke 5:1-11.

  
Meditation: mp3 | podcast
Readings: Text | mp3 | podcast

Around him, flaming creatures were standing …

The prophet Isaiah and Peter were both overwhelmed by a sense of unworthiness in a mystical experience of the presence of God. Yet the cleansing rite of the burning coal in the case of Isaiah, and the reassuring words of Jesus— ‘Do not be afraid’—in the case of Peter, released them from the paralysing effect of their God experience, which had caused them to gaze in terror and awe at the greatness of God and at the yawning gap between the human and the divine. They were able to respond to the call they had received immediately and unreservedly.

We too experience God’s call in our daily lives—probably a gentle nudge rather than a mystical experience—but the words of Jesus, ‘Be not afraid’, can certainly free us. Although we may be weighed down by the ordinariness of our daily lives and feel drowned in a sense of mediocrity, the call to service rekindles our enthusiasm and we are able to say with heartfelt sincerity, ‘Here I am, Lord.’