Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 75

Reading 1

Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8

In the year King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above.

They cried one to the other,
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!"
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.

Then I said, "Woe is me, I am doomed!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

He touched my mouth with it, and said,
"See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged."

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
"Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?"
"Here I am," I said; "send me!"

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8

R. (1c) In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
 your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
 you built up strength within me.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth;
and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD:
"Great is the glory of the LORD."
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

Reading 2

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, Christ appeared to more
than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.
For I am the least of the apostles,
not fit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
But 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;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.

Or

1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 11

Brothers and sisters,
I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more
than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one abnormally born,
he appeared to me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.

Alleluia

Matthew 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening
to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

In the presence of God, we are all unworthy. There is no comparison between us and God. We will always fall short in His eyes. This is a stark truth, but it also serves as encouragement. It is good to remember that, in the end, God chooses us just the way we are and invites us to accept Him into our lives. With this acceptance comes an unavoidable change. What perceptions of life that we had before will be replaced with a revelation of truth that is incomparable to anything that came before. In the Scripture Reading today from Isaiah, he was blessed with Divine Revelation. God appeared before Him to deliver a prophetic message. In reaction, Isaiah was horrified. He realized that he was unworthy to even be in the presence of God, yet alone be commissioned to deliver a message to the Jewish people. He confessed to himself and God regarding his unworthiness. In response, God cleansed Him and transformed Him. Invigorated by this forgiveness, Isaiah passionately accepted what was being asked of him.

 

Knowing that we are forgiven is central to a fruitful relationship with God. Our past failures possess the power to define us and dictate to us our perception of our present and future selves. They can limit our potential, while painting a darker picture of who we really are. The reality is that no one is perfect and without sin. Jesus said it the best when he said,

 

“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

 

Who are the sinners, but everyone? No one is truly righteous, except for God. Those who may think they are righteous are sinning as a result. Realizing our shortcomings is the first step in repairing our relationship with God. That is why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is so important. Coming forward to ask God for forgiveness and being told we are forgiven clears away all that clutter and wreckage that we have created. This debris was a barrier that we erected between us and God. Reconciliation is an invitation to God to smash through that wall of sin and sweep it all away. If God is willing to do that, then who are we to lament on something that is no longer there? Guilt is nothing more than an impediment preventing us from doing better in the future. It is a negative feeling that, if it does not motivate us to do better, has the capability to hurt us while encouraging us to return to our old ways.

 

Through the practice of reverence, we can learn to overcome the feelings of regret tied to our past actions, while focusing on the betterment of ourselves. Reverence is a virtue, a high moral standard, defined as, “The feeling of awe, respect, and shame felt at the right time.” Shame basically comes in two forms, good and bad. Good shame motivates us to do better in the future and leads to positive action, while bad shame is something that impedes us, making us feel less than we really are. God does not want us to feel bad shame. This goes against His expectations for us. He wants us to do better while feeling better about ourselves. He wants us to be the best version of ourselves. He is willing to help us in this endeavor if we let Him.

 

Being God’s children, we are all destined for some sort of greatness. What kind of greatness depends on who we are as individuals and what our relationship with God looks like. The stronger our relationship is, the more we will be able to see and understand what God wants for us. This greatness will come in many different forms and is not defined in human terms, but in spiritual. What those who would consider great when it comes to the criteria of society, just might be lacking in the eyes of God. There were no accomplishments that earned Isaiah the call to prophetic office. The Apostle Paul was doing the opposite of what God wanted before he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were mere fisherman prior to following Jesus. Their greatness was realized through God. God is constantly calling to us, it is up to us to respond.

 

The Apostle Paul presented his testimony in his letter to the Corinthians. Straightforward as it may be, it serves as a statement of fact. What he was preaching was what had occurred and what had been witnessed by hundreds of people before. These things then become irrefutable in the face of anyone who wished to challenge them. He was not writing from a position of authority but one who was invited to spread the Good News. He makes this point known by labeling himself as “abnormal” and the least amongst the witnesses because of his persecution of the church. He was of an unworthy state but great in the eyes of God. To be least in the eyes of the world raises us up to the greatest of heights in the eyes of God.

 

By embracing our unworthiness in the eyes of God, it can then we washed away through a right relationship. All things are better with God. Our lives can be immeasurably changed by letting Him in and permitting Him to do the work necessary to transform us into new creations. The phrase, “Let go and let God,” comes to mind. He becomes the vehicle necessary for us the achieve what we need to achieve to live a life worth living.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

 

 

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 69

Reading 1

Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak till midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
— for he was standing higher up than any of the people —;
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
"Amen, amen!"
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
"Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep"—
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15

R. (cf John 6:63c) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Reading 2

1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now the body is not a single part, but many.
If a foot should say,
"Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, "
it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
Or if an ear should say,
"Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body, "

it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?
If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But as it is, God placed the parts,
each one of them, in the body as he intended.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you, "
nor again the head to the feet, "I do not need you."
Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker
are all the more necessary,
and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable
we surround with greater honor,
and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,
whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.
But God has so constructed the body
as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
so that there may be no division in the body,
but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it;
if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the church
to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers;
then, mighty deeds;
then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

Or

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27

Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,

and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
You are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.

Alleluia

Cf. Luke 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

We are indeed one body, one body in Jesus Christ. We are all unique creations that God willed into existence. There are no two people alike in this world and that is not a mistake. It was God’s intent to make us special in His image. With that, each person has specific skills and talents that set them apart from another. Personalities, likes, and dislikes also differ. What we then have is a virtual melting pot of different persons making up this wonderful creation that God has given us. Even though conflict may arise with different needs and desires coming forth from billions of different people, there can also be consensus if the focus becomes Jesus Christ. Recognizing God as the Father and creator is the first step to surrendering our will to Him. When this happens, what He wants takes precedent and what we want becomes secondary. There is a shared experience and primary goal: to do what God wants. Since God is perfect, there can be no error in what God wants in comparison to what we may want at a given time. It should behoove us to remember this if we truly want to experience joy in our lives. We can then utilize that which has been given to us in service to God. This is the concept of the Living Body of Jesus Christ. Our uniqueness, in service to God, brings about a common vision of perfection through Jesus. We serve as stewards to God’s creation and can then go about building up His kingdom on this earth.

 

No one can do what is expected of another. No one is replaceable. As Jesus said, “Are two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” He knows us intimately and cares for us personally. Just as He knows us and cares for us, we should know and care for each other. There can be no animosity between any of us. There should also be no animosity between us and God. Where there is conflict, evil abounds. There is no evil with God, thus there should be no evil amongst us. When all are working towards what Jesus tells us to do, we are entering into relationship with God. That is when the body functions as it was expected to function.

 

Psalm 40 professes,

 

“Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll.

  To do your will is my delight;

  my God, your law is in my heart.”

 

The scrolls are our Sacred Scripture from God and Divine Revelation through prayer. Today, Jesus read from Isaiah “He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord,” and that the passage read was fulfilled with His presence. This we must recognize if we are to live our lives according to the will of God. Nothing should be said or done without an acknowledgement of Jesus and His influence upon our lives. This is the key to true joy and happiness. The more we work towards this understanding, the less fears and anxieties we will feel. Reacting to Jesus is a lot better than reacting to the calamities we will indeed experience in this life. Jesus offers the solution: working together to do the good works that are expected from us as God’s children.

 

“Jesus Christ is the definitive Good News of God to all the nations on the earth. (Abbot Christian Leisy).” When this is proclaimed in our faith-life, then the will of God is revealed, and we can all work together towards a common goal guided by the Love of God. Things become simpler as a result and the path to salvation is revealed. With commonality comes understanding and a desire to help each other without hindering. Then, truly the words of the Lord become Spirit and life.

 

Deacon Tom