The readings for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year C may be found at:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020622.cfm
Being a Christian is about mission.
It’s about sharing our faith with others.
It means responding to the call of Christ, no matter how unworthy we may feel.
I saw a cartoon this week that spoke to this point.
It was like that footprints prayer, “See the two sets of footprints, this is where you walked with me; See the one set of footprints, this is where I carried you.”
I think we’ve all heard this prayer and it’s very powerful.
But in this cartoon, Jesus was pointing to the sand saying “Where you see one set of footprints is where I carried you…”
And then Jesus, pointing to another place in the sand says, “that long groove is where I dragged you kicking and screaming.”
I loved that. And to me, it spoke to the lengths that Jesus goes to in order to get us to answer His call.
And make no mistake, He calls all of us, no matter how unworthy we may feel.
My wife, Karen and I were talking earlier this week about negative self talk.
I don’t know about you, but the voices in my head can be pretty loud at times. Maybe you are the same.
But, if we think we aren’t enough to answer the call of God, we are in good company at this very Mass.
In the Old Testament reading, Isaiah, one of the great prophets, whose words foreshadowed the coming of the messiah, some 700 years before Jesus came, responds to the call by saying, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips.”
In the New Testament reading, St. Paul, a great example of conversion in the Bible, a man who goes from persecutor of the Church to world traveling apostle and evangelist says “For I am the least, not fit to be called an apostle.”
And in the Gospel, Peter, who would ultimately become our first pope responds to Jesus with “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
Thinking we are unworthy to answer God’s call is not unique.
In fact, it’s likely a requirement.
Jesus invites Peter, just as he invites each of us to join His mission of proclaiming God’s kingdom and inviting women and men to eternal life.
Regardless of how unworthy we feel, God doesn’t give up on us.
He keeps coming at us, because He sees what we don’t see.
Something made us be here today.
Something made us believe it’s worth the investment of time and energy to follow Jesus.
It may not have been a miraculous catch of fish.
Maybe it was that on our own we caught nothing.
For Peter and the fisherman this huge catch nearly sank their boats.
And this came after they struggled all night and caught nothing on their own.
This was their sign that Jesus was real and was sent by God.
What signs have we had in our lives?
Have we struggled with nothing to show, then had a life-changing experience that we knew in our core was not because of us, but that was totally God?
What difference has our relationship with Jesus made in our life?
What makes us feel most unworthy and keeps us from more fully answering God’s call?
What keeps us from sharing our faith with others?
We need to talk to others about our faith, our experiences and how Jesus has touched our lives.
We may just be that thing that gives someone that little bit of a boost to answer God’s call.
Now before I finish up, I’d like to mention a couple of opportunities that we have to share our faith with others.
As you may know, St. Gabriel’s is interested in having as many active ministries available for our parishioners as possible.
If you feel called and are interested in how you can participate in one of our many ministries, please reach out to the parish office by phone or by email to start that conversation.
Finally, the Diocese has recently announced the next class for the formation of Permanent Deacons beginning in September 2022, that ‘God-willing’ leads to the ordination of a new batch of Deacons to in May 2027. Online information sessions start this month if you are interested.
I’d be happy to share my experience with you if you think God may be calling you to become a deacon.
Or even if you want to hear how a really unworthy person can become one.
I can certainly share first hand experience about that.
