At Your Command!

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 6:1-2, 3-8; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Lk 5:1-11

The fifth Sunday highlights the importance of responding positively to God’s Word. 

The three readings show how our repentance and realization are foundational to a positive response to God’s invitation. 

The first reading presents the prophet Isaiah encountering the holiness of God in a vision. The text begins with Isaiah witnessing God’s majestic throne in the temple, surrounded by seraphim, whose continuous worship emphasizes God’s purity. Against the backdrop of the holiness of God, the vision also confronts Isaiah with his own sinfulness and the unworthiness of Israel, as manifested in his cry, ‘Woe is me, I am doomed.’ But the salvaging grace of God redeems the prophet when one of the seraphim touches Isaiah’s lips with coal, purging his guilt. This act of purification represents Isaiah’s commission as a messenger of God. The call of Isaiah reminds us that God calls us to righteousness, often disregarding the fact of our own unworthiness. In addition, we experience the saving intervention of God as forgiveness and reconciliation when our behaviour is marked by humility and repentance.

The second reading emphasizes the foundational truths of the Christian faith, particularly the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The proclamation of Paul was centered around the death and resurrection of Christ. Here, Paul highlights the resurrection of Christ as the cornerstone of Christian hope because it points to our future resurrection. By citing the testimonies of eyewitnesses and his own encounter with the risen Lord, Paul underscores the historical truth of Christ’s resurrection alongside its theological significance. It is important to note that Paul’s account underscores the transforming power of God that changed him from being a ‘torturer of Christ’ into an apostle ‘tortured for Christ.’ 

Today’s Gospel describes Jesus calling his first disciples. The spotlight is on Simon Peter, while (Andrew) James and John are shown to be his partners. It is interesting to note that Jesus gets into the boat belonging to Simon and commands him twice: once to put out the boat a short distance from the shore so he can use it as a podium and again to put the boat out into deep water for a catch. Simon obeys Jesus both times. The second time Simon obeys Jesus only because of his word. He says, ‘At your command, I will lower the nets.’ Hence, Simon’s positive response to the call of Jesus follows a precedent. By saying yes to Jesus’ call, Simon becomes a helper in his Kingdom activity along with his companions. Their response is total and complete because they abandon all for Jesus. Simon is aware that the miraculous catch of fish is not his own doing but the Lord’s. This is why when his boat gets filled, instead of being happy, he confesses his unworthiness. Simon’s call narrative leaves behind a powerful insight. For the first time, those who take the bait (Simon, James, and John) are not killed but enter a new life. Now, Simon and others will be catching people with the bait of God’s word, thereby bringing them to new life. Simon’s example teaches us that the bait of God’s word is a guarantor of new life. 

By their theological profundity, the readings of the day challenge us with powerful insights. 

The Saving Grace of God: All those who are called by God express their unworthiness. But all of them experience the saving grace of God in their own ways. Hence, more than our trustworthiness, our call symbolizes the trustworthiness of God, true to the verse, ‘The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it’ (Thes 5:24). How can we be justified, if not for God’s grace?

Trusting in God’s Word: Peter teaches what it means to trust in God’s word. The miracle and his own realization of Jesus’ divinity happened when he began to trust in God’s word. Though Peter was good at his profession, only at Jesus’ command, did his experience of nothingness change into that of plenty. We find the result of his realization in his words: from ‘Master’ to the ‘Lord.’ With God, our hard work becomes a blessing in abundance. 

Positive Response to the Call: The readings demonstrate that those who are called by God respond positively to the call. Our positive response is a sign that we remain open to God’s work in us. Hence, remaining positive to God’s initiative is key to Christian life. By remaining positive, we let God into our lives to take hold of them and transform them. 

Let us pray that in our positive response to God’s call, we may experience the transforming power of God’s grace to witness showers of blessings. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar