Reading I: Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 11
GOSPEL: Luke 5:1-11
Here I Am, Lord
It seems to be human nature to strive for stability and security. We do our best to bring order to our lives and keep uncertainty and confusion at bay. For many of us, Christianity appears to be a safety blanket – a spiritual insurance policy that will keep us safe and sound on high ground – but it’s not. Like Simon Peter, Christ is calling us to leave the shore and strike out for deeper waters!
Who? Me?
I have been involved in Youth Ministry for over 30 years – it’s sort of my “thing.” I have held volunteer, part-time, and full-time positions over the years, and have received extensive training, coaching, and mentoring. I am good with the teens, I enjoy working with them, and I was always very comfortable in whatever role I played. So I was a bit surprised when, in the spring of 2001, the Holy Spirit called me to do something quite a bit different.
Through a rather mundane series of events, I found myself in charge of maintaining our parish Young Adult Ministry website. What needed to be done was pretty clear – new content had to be added on a regular basis because it had become an out-dated online brochure. I felt called to do something about it, but my initial reaction was one of disbelief. Who? Me? You want me to do this?
When the Lord said “yes,” my next response was similar to Simon Peter’s in the gospel reading: Not me, Lord! I am neither worthy nor capable of doing this!
Into Deeper Waters
In today’s first reading, Isaiah was afraid that he would die because he was an unclean sinner before the Lord. But the angels ensured he was cleansed of sin, so when the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah replied, “Here I am… send me!”
St. Paul, the author of our second reading, believed himself to be “the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because [he] persecuted the church of God.” And yet Christ appeared to him, and he not only converted to Christianity, but also became one of the greatest fishers of men.
Simon Peter, in Luke’s gospel, implored Jesus to leave his presence because he was a sinful man. But Jesus had other ideas, and Peter followed him, eventually becoming another great fisher of men.
What these three had in common was the fear of being unworthy and incapable of accomplishing the task being asked of them. It’s exactly the way I felt when the Lord asked me to head out for deeper waters and use the (inter)net to catch men and women for him. I was not a writer but the Spirit has worked through me. Beginning in the spring of 2001, I started writing one or more articles each week – every week – and continued at that pace for over 10 years!
Not surprisingly, the Lord continues to inspire me. These days, my weekly content creation includes 3 or 4 articles, editorials, and blog posts; a 30-minute webinar on the scriptures; and a podcast on values-based leadership. Twenty years ago, I didn’t think I had much to share. Now I run out of time before I can publish everything the Lord inspires me to share!
What I’m inspired to do might be a bit unusual but the fact that I have been called to do it is not unusual at all. As Christians, we are all called to go forth and be fishers of men. It’s not necessarily easy. It’s rarely comfortable, at least at first. And it’s not always the “safe” thing to do. But it’s what Jesus has asked us to do. So hop in those boats, head out to deeper waters, and start casting those nets!
Life Applications:
Have you ever felt “called” by God? Explain.
How do you talk about God outside of Church? To co-workers?
Where are your “deeper waters?” What does that mean to you?
Check out the REAL Word Podcast for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C):
Original article by Brandon Jubar, 2004-2022.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.