Today's Thoughts...

Today’s Thoughts: Peter’s words in today’s Gospel, – “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” – always seem to catch my attention. Every time I encounter God, I would like to be Isaiah and say, “Here I am, send me,” however my humanness always seems to get in the way. Why would God want to call me, to send me? Yet what our readings tell us today is that God does and is calling us.
 
In our first reading and in the Gospel, we encounter God calling people for the work of the Kingdom. Isaiah’s call is one of majesty and splendor. He is caught up in a theophany, an encounter God on the heavenly throne. While in the Gospel Simon and the others encounter God at the workplace. They are simply going about their business of catching fish when Jesus once again walks into their lives.
 
In other words, our readings today remind us that God can call us anywhere, at any time. In fact, God is always calling us. Yes, God know we are sinful women and men yet that is exactly who he wants to proclaim the Good News. Few of us, if any, will encounter God the way Isaiah did. All of us will encounter God the way Simon and the others did in everyday life. Each day God calls us to something new which can be scary but also life giving. Sometimes the call is to take a chance and grow beyond realm of our abilities and other times it is to simply be who we are to the best of our ability.
 
Like St. Paul in this First Letter to the Corinthians we all have a story to tell. We all make mistakes. We all have our faults and failings. We are all sinful people. Yet, God calls each one of us gifting us with his mercy and sending us forth in our own unique way to walk by faith and proclaim the Good News. We might not have a burning ember placed in our mouth. We might not be knock off our feet. We might not catch more fish then we can handle. But God will and does call us. The question is - are we ready to say, “Here I am send me!”
 
Have a great Sunday everyone.