YES! YOU CAN!
FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Is 6:2-8; 1Cor 15:1-11; Lk 5:1-11)
Yes! We can! We heard this slogan during the last presidential election campaign. Many psychologists believe that we become what we believe. Many people, however, do not believe in themselves. They constantly find excuses to shy away from taking responsibilities. The scripture reading for the fifth Sunday of Ordinary time presents three great biblical figures (Isaiah, Paul and Peter) who debated with God when they were called for ministry.
EXCUSES OR EXPRESSION OF GENUINENESS
A few days ago I said to a person: You would be a good lector. Would you please consider becoming one? This person said: “Sorry, I am very nervous to face people.” Later I found out that this person is a professor at a university. People bring excuses to avoid responsibilities. Excuses lead to empty victories. On the other hand, excuses can be expressions of who we are. They can be expressions of our state of being. In the stories of Peter, Paul and Isaiah, their excuses were not defense mechanisms but genuine confessions of their lives. It was a genuine surrender. Isaiah was in the presence of the Holy, Peter was experiencing the divine manifestation of Jesus’ power, Paul was aware of what he had done to Christ. They were taking their place before God. They were seeing their humanness. They were proclaiming that they were not in the realm of God to take up His mission, but are creatures with creaturely imperfections.
SENSE OF UNWORTHINESS AS THE BEGINNING OF DISCIPLESHIP
According to Matthew, Jesus started the Sermon on the Mount, saying: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” Standing before the Lord with complete transparency is the supreme quality for discipleship. When God calls someone for ministry, it is not their expertise but their willingness to serve that God counts. For it is not us but God working through us. Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not worry about what you are to say and how you are to say it; when the hour comes you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak but it will be the spirit of your Father in you” (Mt: 10:19-20). God spoke to Jeremiah, “They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you.” God empowers whoever He commissions for ministry. For example, God cleansed the lips of Isaiah. An Angel touched his mouth and said, “Your wickedness is removed, your sin is purged.” God in His goodness makes us good enough to serve Him.
YOU ARE PERFECTLY FIT
People who performed great things in the past were not always great from a worldly standpoint. For example, St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, was below average in intellectual capacities. He struggled to complete his seminary studies. Jesus’ selection of the Twelve Disciples tells us the same truth. Only one among the twelve had a surname! You may not be fit for a particular ministry but definitely there are ministries that are suited for you. It is not the power associated with a ministry but the manner in which you perform a ministry that makes you powerful. In many movies, the minor characters get more applause than the main character.
FOCUS ON THE MISSION, NOT ON YOU
Problems creep up when we turn to ourselves for resources to solve the issues. People who had successful ministries were always preoccupied with the needs of the people whom they were serving. That’s the key to success! As Jesus clearly spelled out in the gospel, our mission is to become fishers of men. Our focus must be on people. People and their struggle give us power beyond our imagination. For example, the scene of people suffering in Haiti inspired many of us to make contributions beyond our calculations in spite of our financial restraints. “Yes, I can! Here I am Lord, Send me.”
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There are Three Classes of people:
The few who make things happen
The many watch things happen
The majority who have no notion of what happens
(Nicholas Butler)
------------------------------------------
All that is necessary for the victory of evil is that good people do nothing.
(Edmund Burke)
=================================================
FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Is 6:2-8; 1Cor 15:1-11; Lk 5:1-11)
Yes! We can! We heard this slogan during the last presidential election campaign. Many psychologists believe that we become what we believe. Many people, however, do not believe in themselves. They constantly find excuses to shy away from taking responsibilities. The scripture reading for the fifth Sunday of Ordinary time presents three great biblical figures (Isaiah, Paul and Peter) who debated with God when they were called for ministry.
EXCUSES OR EXPRESSION OF GENUINENESS
A few days ago I said to a person: You would be a good lector. Would you please consider becoming one? This person said: “Sorry, I am very nervous to face people.” Later I found out that this person is a professor at a university. People bring excuses to avoid responsibilities. Excuses lead to empty victories. On the other hand, excuses can be expressions of who we are. They can be expressions of our state of being. In the stories of Peter, Paul and Isaiah, their excuses were not defense mechanisms but genuine confessions of their lives. It was a genuine surrender. Isaiah was in the presence of the Holy, Peter was experiencing the divine manifestation of Jesus’ power, Paul was aware of what he had done to Christ. They were taking their place before God. They were seeing their humanness. They were proclaiming that they were not in the realm of God to take up His mission, but are creatures with creaturely imperfections.
SENSE OF UNWORTHINESS AS THE BEGINNING OF DISCIPLESHIP
According to Matthew, Jesus started the Sermon on the Mount, saying: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” Standing before the Lord with complete transparency is the supreme quality for discipleship. When God calls someone for ministry, it is not their expertise but their willingness to serve that God counts. For it is not us but God working through us. Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not worry about what you are to say and how you are to say it; when the hour comes you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak but it will be the spirit of your Father in you” (Mt: 10:19-20). God spoke to Jeremiah, “They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you.” God empowers whoever He commissions for ministry. For example, God cleansed the lips of Isaiah. An Angel touched his mouth and said, “Your wickedness is removed, your sin is purged.” God in His goodness makes us good enough to serve Him.
YOU ARE PERFECTLY FIT
People who performed great things in the past were not always great from a worldly standpoint. For example, St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, was below average in intellectual capacities. He struggled to complete his seminary studies. Jesus’ selection of the Twelve Disciples tells us the same truth. Only one among the twelve had a surname! You may not be fit for a particular ministry but definitely there are ministries that are suited for you. It is not the power associated with a ministry but the manner in which you perform a ministry that makes you powerful. In many movies, the minor characters get more applause than the main character.
FOCUS ON THE MISSION, NOT ON YOU
Problems creep up when we turn to ourselves for resources to solve the issues. People who had successful ministries were always preoccupied with the needs of the people whom they were serving. That’s the key to success! As Jesus clearly spelled out in the gospel, our mission is to become fishers of men. Our focus must be on people. People and their struggle give us power beyond our imagination. For example, the scene of people suffering in Haiti inspired many of us to make contributions beyond our calculations in spite of our financial restraints. “Yes, I can! Here I am Lord, Send me.”
================================================
There are Three Classes of people:
The few who make things happen
The many watch things happen
The majority who have no notion of what happens
(Nicholas Butler)
------------------------------------------
All that is necessary for the victory of evil is that good people do nothing.
(Edmund Burke)
=================================================
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