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.

The Disorder in End Times Images

Nature is observed, in the Northern hemisphere, to follow seasons. Ancient people marked the significant changes in the seasons with feasts. The spring, with new life, is the Easter season for Christianity. November, as the life around us dies and is changing our landscape, is the end of the year in the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Thinking about the end or the ‘end times’ can be troublesome and confusing for people. It is often challenging to find religious or scriptural references which are clear and unambiguous. We often seek prophets who tell us about what is to come. Larry Gillick suggests…
Here, as we near the end of this liturgical year, we are invited to face Jesus as the norm, the model, the person Who is offering a way to know and accept what is ultimately good for us. Strictly, by ourselves, we would always be in states of confusion about what is reckless and what is reverent. This confusion can become a comfortable and irresponsible way of crashing through our lives and those around us. Jesus is the divine wake-up call for us to rise and shun the luxury of sleep-living. (Gillick S.J., 2009)
Works Cited
Gillick S.J., L. (2009, November 15). Daily Reflection. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from Creighton University's Online Ministries: http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/111509.html