One thing we all have in common, unless unbeknownst to me there is a deaf person here, is that we can all hear. But not everyone listens. How often do we listen to someone without interjecting our opinion? If we do, we aren’t listening to what the other person is saying. Consequently, we could miss hearing something profound that could be life altering.
In all three readings, we encounter men who listened to God and responded. First, we find Isaiah mourning the death of King Uzziah who had ruled Israel for 50 years. Isaiah knew the king personally and he is filled with grief. He went to the temple to pray and had a religious experience. Overwhelmed by the presence of God, he said, “I am a man of unclean lips.” Regretting that he had persecuted the church, Paul considered himself the least of the apostles. In the gospel, Peter laments, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
In every instance, God called on them to do something special with their lives. Isaiah responds, “Here I am, send me!” Knowing his life will never be the same again he gives up his life of privilege and becomes a prophet. Despite his many setbacks, challenges and trials, Paul spreads the Good News near and far between Jerusalem and Rome.
In the gospel, we find three friends (two of them brothers) doing what they do best. They could have continued that trade for many more years but like Isaiah and Paul they had a profound holy experience. That day, returning ashore with empty nets, Simon Peter reluctantly listens to Jesus and puts out into deep water one more time to lower his nets. The catch was so incredible he signaled the others to help him. That bountiful catch prompts him to plead, “Leave me, Lord, I’m a sinner.” His catch wasn’t just a net full of fish; he hauled in God’s love, compassion, mercy, wisdom, healing and forgiveness.
Jesus told him not to be afraid. From then on their lives were radically changed. Instead of catching fish for a livelihood, they would be catching men, women and children. Along with Isaiah and Paul, they grew in their faith in ways never anticipated because they listened to God.
Each day we are all growing a bit at a time physically. We are a day older than we were yesterday. We grow in other ways as well; such as outgrowing the past along with its pain and loss. We move forward toward a future that promises eternal life but to do that we also need to grow in faith, taking time to not just hear God but also to listen to what the Lord is saying to us through scripture and prophets.
By virtue of our baptism, we are called to do our part in building God’s kingdom. Perhaps you feel as Isaiah and Peter did; too unworthy for the mission being handed to you, yet we are all called to do something special with our lives. You might be ignoring God’s call yet you never know until you take the first step where a journey will take you and the difference you could make in doing so. A calling from God can pull us in a direction we didn’t anticipate.
Years ago, a girl in Tennessee was born prematurely. As an infant she caught pneumonia, then scarlet fever and finally polio. At the age of 5 she hobbled about in braces while other children ran and skipped ropes.
When she turned 11, she secretly practiced walking without braces. While doing that, she added periods of prayer. She eventually threw the braces away and then began to run. She ran and ran. At age 16, she qualified for the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia and won a bronze medal in one race. Four years later at the 1960 Olympics in Rome she won three gold medals. Her name was Wilma Rudolph.
She was a living example of perseverance, a tribute to the power and potential of the human spirit. No handicap is a match for perseverance and prayer.
The readings invite us to do what Peter, Paul, Isaiah and Wilma Rudolph did; persevere in our efforts to live the Christian life and the gospel of Jesus Christ in the face of whatever obstacles we encounter. Ms. Rudolph once stated, “Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time.”
Just think, Peter could have told Jesus to get lost after such a futile night of fishing but he didn’t. He ventured out into deep waters one more time with his empty net and that made all the difference in his life and the lives of many ever since. His example is an invitation for us to listen to Jesus, especially when he or his prophets challenge what we hold dear.
These biblical call stories are directed at us. They invite us to involve Jesus in our efforts in life. When Peter listened, he succeeded. The same was true for Isaiah, Paul, and Wilma Rudolph. They not only succeeded, they exceeded their wildest dream. That can be the same for us when we take the time and effort to venture into the deep water of prayer to listen to God.