Beyond Normal Experience? No excuses!

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today takes us to events which are beyond normal human experience. Isaiah is present in heaven where the Lord King approaches him with a request. Paul recalls his experience with the Risen Jesus as well as recording the experiences of the other apostles. Jesus speaks to the people at the lakeshore during His public ministry. Peter acts on Jesus suggestion to return to fishing even though they had not caught anything all night. The over abundance of the resulting catch astounds Peter. Jesus asks Peter to follow Him as a ‘fisher of people’. The extra human experience is often the opportunity to hear a call or request from the Divine. Larry Gillick S.J., of Creighton University's Online Ministries (http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/020710.html) writes that these experiences also have engendered “excuses” from the participants as to why they cannot respond to the Divine request. Isaiah had unclean lips. Peter was a sinful man. These excuses are also true. It is the unclean and sinful that the Divine often chooses.