Breaking Open the Word
By James Cavanagh
JFeb. 7: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Scripture readings:
• Isaiah 6:1-8
• Psalm 138:1-8
• 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
• Luke 5:1-11
Overview: John Paul II said, “The Church never imposes; she proposes.” This week’s readings focus on evangelization and how, from the very beginning, the Church has been called by Christ to “put out into the deep” of the world and to share the message of the hope and love with others. In our first reading the prophet Isaiah describes his calling. After witnessing the glory of God in an ecstatic vision, an angel touches his lips with a “burning coal” that signifies the word of God. Recognizing his profound unworthiness relative to God’s holiness, Isaiah is reluctant to act. But purged from his sin he is empowered by God and sent out to preach the word of truth. In the second reading St. Paul describes his calling as well as the basic Gospel message. “I am reminding you,” he says, “of the Gospel I preached to you.” If you listen closely, you will hear core elements of the creed we recite every Sunday. Like Isaiah, Paul did not feel worthy of his calling and yet responded to God with faith and courage. Finally, this week’s Gospel describes the calling of the apostles, beginning with Peter. Notice how the reading begins with the word of God and ends with the apostles following Christ to become “fishers of men.” The Mass follows the same pattern.
Key verse: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch” (Lk 5:4).
“Catechism of the Catholic Church”: “Confirmation … gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross” (No. 1303).
Benedict XVI: “After the blessing, the deacon or the priest dismisses the people with the words: ‘Ite, missa est.’ These words help us to grasp the relationship between the Mass just celebrated and the mission of Christians in the world. In antiquity, missa simply meant ‘dismissal.’ However in Christian usage it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word ‘dismissal’ has come to imply a ‘mission.’ These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church” (“Sacramentum Caritatis,” 51).
Life application: One of the most important goals of Vatican II was to stress the role of the laity in the life and mission of the Church. Each one of us, through the grace of baptism and confirmation, has been called to bear witness to God’s love. Touched by the word of truth, purged from our sins and nourished by the body and blood of Christ, we are then sent into the world “to love and serve the Lord.” The love of God which has been poured into hearts (Rom 5:5) is not something we can keep to ourselves. It must be shared with others.
