5th Sunday of the ordinary time year C
Isaiah 6:1-2a.3-8 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11
Theme: I am unworthy
The three readings we have on this 5th Sunday of the year, shows us the height of humility of our Ancestors in faith. They had the consciousness of their human brokenness and not being worthy to carry the good news of Christ to his people. We see that in the assertion of the prophet Isaiah, when he says that he is a man of unclean lips. In the 2nd reading, St. Paul also acknowledged the fact that he was unworthy of the task, because of his past life of persecuting Christians. Lastly in the gospel, we see Peter telling Jesus to depart from him; for he is a sinful man. They were all conscious of the fact that they were unworthy to carry out the task of spreading the good news of Christ.
Interestingly, their sense of unworthiness did not disqualify any of them from the mission God has prepared for them. If anything, it strengthened their resolve to put in all they had for them to achieve success in their mission. This is because their sense of unworthiness was taken care of by God and it never served as a hindrance towards the success of their mission. Simply put, when he calls you, he qualifies you and prepares you for the mission ahead. At that point in time, we are carrying our mission as representative of Christ, and he will never desert us; no matter any difficulty we encounter in the course of our call to discipleship.
The sense of unworthiness by these our Ancestors in faith, says a lot to you and I as followers of Christ in our own time. The way God handled their sources of fears, should be a source of strength for the people of God in our own time. Whenever he calls us, he prepares us for the challenges we will encounter in the course of carrying out the work. The most important thing at such moments is for us to keep doing our best and trust in God. One thing that is very certain is that the situation will not overwhelm us.
Is there a situation in your life presently that has overwhelmed you? If yes, this is the time to listen to the word of God and do what he tells you. Just like Peter did in today’s gospel; he listened to Jesus and they reaped bountifully. God will never disappoint all those who trust in him. Humility and the sense of unworthiness is very important in our call to discipleship. We have nothing to lose when we humble ourselves, it will rather attract the blessings of God to us. May God grant us the grace to always practice the word of God in our life. Peace be with you.