5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This Sunday we celebrate the 5th Sunday in Ordinary time and we remember and pray for all those who are sick as we celebrate the world day for the Sick on 11th February. We ask God through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes to bless our sick and all those who look after them. The 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time readings highlight important themes. These themes help us understand our faith and God’s call in our lives. In the First Reading from Isaiah Isaiah saw the Lord on His throne, felt unworthy, but was cleansed by a seraphim. When God asked for a messenger, Isaiah offered to go. In the Responsorial Psalm I will thank and praise God for His kindness and truth. He answers me and gives me strength. All will praise Him for His great glory and enduring kindness.
The Second Reading from Corinthians tells us that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the third day. Saint Paul says He appeared to many, including me. By God’s grace, I preach, and you believed. Our Gospel story for this Sunday recounts the story of the of Peter’s calling to be a fisher of men. After a fruitless night’s fishing, Peter obeys the word of Jesus and catches a huge number of fish. He feels unworthy before Jesus; but he is now called to be a fisher of men. Peter recognises the hand of God in what has happened and at the same time realises his own sinfulness but Jesus comes to show us the mercy of his Father. Jesus did not come to be a hermit with an unreachable address in the desert; rather, his whole mission moves in the opposite direction, for he has come “to seek out and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). So Jesus travels into our lives not away from them. He entertains sinners he enters their homes, meets their families, eats at their table, listens to their stories, and calls all of us to a new way of life when he says follow me. Throughout his life Jesus is never far from sinners he is not far from all of us as well for are sinners too. Jesus doesn’t write us off because we are sinners; Jesus has other plans because he knows that we sinners have a future, not just a past. Simon Peter received his call while he was doing his work. He said, “Yes,” and responded by changing his life.
Every day, in the midst of our routines, at work, home, school there are opportunities to respond to Jesus’ call to follow him. In innumerable ways our Christian vocation must guide what we say and what we do. In all our decisions big and small, we are asked to live what we profess as Jesus’ followers; to be attentive to what God may be asking of us at that moment of our lives. This may entail being faithful to the commitments we already have; responding to a need we see, or taking the opportunity to witness to what we believe. Our responses may seem small and insignificant. They may be small, but they are never insignificant! In addition, who knows where the next “Yes” we say to Christ may lead us? Our call as disciples is not only to personal holiness but also to partnership with Christ in transforming the world with words and actions of justice, peace, integrity, forgiveness, mercy, tolerance, hope and love. We must allow ourselves to be caught and taught by Jesus. The response that is asked for, is to be prepared to give up everything in our quest to know Jesus. In spite of our sense of sinfulness, unworthiness and lack of faith in ourselves, we are called to trust in God’s choice of us and in God’s faith in us who are his beloved daughters and sons.
Fullerton T 