The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to act on the mystical encounter with the Divine that is our invitation to become fishers of people.
The reading from the Prophet Isaiah is a Vision of God in the Temple.
* [6:1] In the year King Uzziah died: probably 742 B.C., although the chronology of this period is disputed. A high and lofty throne: within the holy of holies of the Jerusalem Temple stood two cherubim, or winged sphinxes, whose outstretched wings served as the divine throne (1 Kgs 6:23–28; Ez 1:4–28; 10:1, 20). The ark of the covenant was God’s footstool (Ps 132:7–8; 1 Chr 28:2), placed under the cherubim (1 Kgs 8:6–7). Temple: the holy place, just in front of the holy of holies.
* [6:2] Seraphim: the plural of saraph (“to burn”), a term used to designate the “fiery” serpents of the wilderness (Nm 21:8; Dt 8:15), and to refer to “winged” serpents (Is 14:29; 30:6). Here, however, it is used adjectivally of the cherubim, who are not serpent-like, as seen in the fact that they have faces and sexual parts (“feet”). See the adaptation of these figures by Ezekiel (Ez 1:10–12; 10:4–15).
* [6:3] Holy, holy, holy: these words have been used in Christian liturgy from the earliest times.
* [6:4] Smoke: reminiscent of the clouds which indicated God’s presence at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:16–19; Dt 4:11) and which filled the tabernacle (Ex 40:34–38) and the Temple (1 Kgs 8:10–11) at their dedication.
* [6:5] Doomed: there are two roots from which the verb here could be derived; one means “to perish, be doomed,” the other “to become silent,” and given Isaiah’s delight in puns and double entendre, he probably intended to sound both notes. “I am doomed!” is suggested by the popular belief that to see God would lead to one’s death; cf. Gn 32:31; Ex 33:20; Jgs 13:22. “I am struck silent!” is suggested by the emphasis on the lips in vv. 5–6, and such silence is attested elsewhere as the appropriate response to the vision of the Lord in the Temple (Hb 2:20).
* [6:7] Touched your lips: Isaiah is thus symbolically purified of sin in preparation for his mission as God’s prophet. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 138 offers Thanksgiving and Praise.
* [Psalm 138] A thanksgiving to God, who came to the rescue of the psalmist. Divine rescue was not the result of the psalmist’s virtues but of God’s loving fidelity (Ps 138:1–3). The act is not a private transaction but a public act that stirs the surrounding nations to praise God’s greatness and care for the people (Ps 138:4–6). The psalmist, having experienced salvation, trusts that God will always be there in moments of danger (Ps 138:7–8). (Psalms, PSALM 138 | UISCCB, n.d.)
In the reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians presents the Gospel Teaching about the Resurrection of Christ.
* [15:3–7] The language by which Paul expresses the essence of the “gospel” (1 Cor 15:1) is not his own but is drawn from older credal formulas. This credo highlights Jesus’ death for our sins (confirmed by his burial) and Jesus’ resurrection (confirmed by his appearances) and presents both of them as fulfillment of prophecy. In accordance with the scriptures: conformity of Jesus’ passion with the scriptures is asserted in Mt 16:1; Lk 24:25–27, 32, 44–46. Application of some Old Testament texts (Ps 2:7; 16:8–11) to his resurrection is illustrated by Acts 2:27–31; 13:29–39; and Is 52:13–53:12 and Hos 6:2 may also have been envisaged.
* [15:9–11] A persecutor may have appeared disqualified (ouk…hikanos) from apostleship, but in fact God’s grace has qualified him. Cf. the remarks in 2 Corinthians about his qualifications (2 Cor 2:16; 3:5) and his greater labors (2 Cor 11:23). These verses are parenthetical, but a nerve has been touched (the references to his abnormal birth and his activity as a persecutor may echo taunts from Paul’s opponents), and he is instinctively moved to self-defense. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Calls the First Disciples including Simon the Fisherman.
* [5:1–11] This incident has been transposed from his source, Mk 1:16–20, which places it immediately after Jesus makes his appearance in Galilee. By this transposition Luke uses this example of Simon’s acceptance of Jesus to counter the earlier rejection of him by his hometown people, and since several incidents dealing with Jesus’ power and authority have already been narrated, Luke creates a plausible context for the acceptance of Jesus by Simon and his partners. Many commentators have noted the similarity between the wondrous catch of fish reported here (Lk 5:4–9) and the post-resurrectional appearance of Jesus in Jn 21:1–11. There are traces in Luke’s story that the post-resurrectional context is the original one: in Lk 5:8 Simon addresses Jesus as Lord (a post-resurrectional title for Jesus—see Lk 24:34; Acts 2:36—that has been read back into the historical ministry of Jesus) and recognizes himself as a sinner (an appropriate recognition for one who has denied knowing Jesus—Lk 22:54–62). As used by Luke, the incident looks forward to Peter’s leadership in Luke-Acts (Lk 6:14; 9:20; 22:31–32; 24:34; Acts 1:15; 2:14–40; 10:11–18; 15:7–12) and symbolizes the future success of Peter as fisherman (Acts 2:41). (Luke, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that Simon makes a very honest self-negative proclamation. Jesus trumps that with an intimate invitation to come with Him. Jesus does not deny Simon’s sinful confession and maybe He thinks to Himself, “Simon, you ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Two huge words attract my reflection, shallow and deep. I think the reason they did not catch any fish was it was so dark they didn’t know they were in three feet of water. “Deeper” is where they find their value, their identities. Shallow is quicker at which to arrive. Deeper takes time and patience. Their true worth, value, names were arrived at by hard rowing out into the dark, quiet and alone. Sounds like the right place and the right time for Jesus to catch me, if You can and You definitely can! (Gillick, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “By faith Peter casts the nets of Christ's teaching,” by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD)
"'That you may understand that the Lord was speaking of spiritual fishing, however, Peter says, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.' It is as if he were saying, 'Through the whole night our fishing has brought us nothing, and we have been laboring in vain. Now I will not fish with fishing gear but with grace, not with diligence acquired by skill but with the perseverance acquired by devotion.' When Peter lets down the nets at the word, therefore, he is in fact letting down the teachings in Christ. When he unfolds the tightly woven and well-ordered nets at the command of the Master, he is really laying out words in the name of the Savior in a fitting and clear fashion. By these words he is able to save not creatures but souls. 'We toiled all night,' he says, 'and took nothing.' Peter, who beforehand was unable to see in order to make a catch, enduring darkness without Christ, had indeed toiled through the whole night. But when the Savior's light shone upon him the darkness scattered, and by faith he began to discern in the deep what he could not see with his eyes." (excerpt from SERMON 110.2.1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 6:1-8 comments how wonderful that God didn’t leave Peter and Isaiah in their fear and shame! Instead, he called them closer! God touched Isaiah and cleansed him of his sin. Even more, God invited him to speak to his people. And Jesus patiently reassured Peter, saying, “Do not be afraid,” and welcomed him to join in his mission of “catching men” (Luke 5:10).
Whenever you feel inadequate or afraid in God’s presence, remember Isaiah and Peter. Don’t allow those feelings to hold you back or paralyze you or make you feel disqualified from following Jesus. He loves you perfectly. He is so holy, so merciful, so good. You don’t have to be afraid.
“Here I am, Lord. I want to see you.” (Meditation on Isaiah 6:1-8, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the ecstatic experience of Isaiah’s inaugural vision of being called to a prophetic career. The significance of the “three days” in the kerygma of Paul includes a reference to a Jewish understanding of a method of the action of God. The witness of 500 to Jesus Resurrection is bravely cited by Paul. Friar Jude reminds us of the transformation of the skills and talents of the apostles to become “fishers of people”.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, explains why the wisdom of the mystics is important to the future of Christianity and the healing of our souls. In the early 1960s, the Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner suggested that if Western Christianity did not rediscover its mystical foundations, we might as well close the doors of the churches because we had lost the primary reason for our existence. We don’t need to be afraid of the word “mystic.” It simply means one who has moved from mere belief or belonging systems about God to actual inner experience. All spiritual traditions at their mature levels agree that such a movement is possible, desirable, and even available to everyone. Fr Richard introduces scholar Elaine Heath who emphasizes that the inner experience of the mystics is connected to their concern for the outer world.
Mysticism, contrary to popular belief, is not essentially about private numinous experiences…. Christian mysticism is about the holy transformation of the mystic by God, so that the mystic becomes instrumental in the holy transformation of God’s people. This transformation always results in missional action in the world….
Those who could properly be called the great Christian mystics, such as St. John of the Cross, attained a radical degree of holy transformation as a result of their encounters with the Triune God. That is, their inward transformation resulted in an outward life of extraordinary impact on the world…. Christian mysticism … is the God-initiated experience of being moved beyond oneself into greater depths of divine love. This movement results in an inward transformation of wholeness and integration and an outward life of holiness, an increasing love of God and neighbor. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We contemplate our experience of transformation and celebrate the mystical Presence of the Spirit that moves us to act with truth, love, and compassion.
References
Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/020925.html
Isaiah, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/6?1
Luke, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/5?1
Meditation on Isaiah 6:1-8. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/02/09/1200617/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/15?1
Psalms, PSALM 138 | UISCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/138?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Why Mysticism Matters. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/why-mysticism-matters/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Will Catch People for the Kingdom of God. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=feb9
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