God does not choose the able, he enables the chosen

Homily for 5^th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C 2016

Isaiah 6:1-2a,3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

Introduction

During an interview, about two and a half years ago, Pope Francis was asked: “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” And in what has now become a famous answer, he said: "I do not know what might be the most fitting description....  but the best summary, the one that comes more from the inside and I feel most true is this: I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.”

Many people, were surprised that the Pope had described himself as a sinner.  We are not used to important people admitting weakness.  Rather we are used to a culture of self-promotion like Muhammad Ali, who said, "I am the greatest," "I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ’em out, I pick the round."  We are raised to think of ourselves as great.

Scripture and Theology

But for Christians, Pope Francis saying that he is a sinner, should not have come as a surprise.  About two thousand years ago, another would-be-pope said “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Lk. 5:7).  That was Simon Peter, when he first met the Lord.  As we heard in today's gospel, faced with the true greatness and holiness of Jesus, Peter realized how unworthy he was.

This feeling of unworthiness was also felt by the prophets in the Old Testament.

·        When called by God to be a prophet, Jeremiah protested his youth, saying: “I do not know how to speak. I am too young” (Jer. 1:6)!

·        Amos lacked pedigree: "I am not a prophet, nor do I belong to a company of prophets. I am a herdsman and a dresser of sycamores" (Amos 7:14).

·        And in today's reading we heard from the prophet Isaiah, who described his unworthiness in this way: "Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips" (Is. 6:5).

And in the second reading, St. Paul described himself as "one born abnormally."  "For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15:8-9).  Paul writes these words at the end of his first letter to the Corinthians, in which he chastises them for their sinful ways, but he does not forget, in fact he acknowledges his own unworthiness.

And so, from all three readings and indeed in all of the Bible, we see that God almost always picks the lowly and unworthy to be his messengers and his ministers.  Even the Blessed Mother, although immaculately conceived, was a poor, lowly teenage girl, tasked with being the mother of God's son.

But why does God operate in this way?  Why does he have such low hiring standards?  A catchy phrase used by promoters of religious vocations is: "God does not call the able; he enables those he calls."  In other words, perhaps God picks the lowly so that he can form them in his own way and so that they might do his work in his way, and not their way.  God is able to reshape and reform what is broken, and use it for his great purposes.

Just look at Simon in today's gospel.  The Lord tells him: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (Lk. 5:10).  From then on the Lord teaches and trains Peter and his friends, and turns them from fishermen, to fishers of men.  That is why we see that Peter who gives that passionate sermon at Pentecost, is able to do so, only because the Lord has looked upon him with kindness and blessed him with the gifts to overcome his weakness.

Even the prophets who we have seen, despite their initial unworthiness, God worked on them and made them worthy instruments of his message.  Isaiah described for us in some detail how this transformation happened.

He touched my mouth with [an ember] it, and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

As for St. Paul, we know the Lord called him on the Road to Damascus.  Paul admitted as much in today's second reading when he said:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.

God's hiring process, therefore, is not based not greatness, but on the potential to become great in the hands of God.

Christian Life

We who live at time when receiving Oscars, Emmy's and Grammy's, winning the Superbowl, is far more important that feeding the poor or dying for one's country, really need to recognize our unworthiness before God.

The words and example of Pope Francis should inspire us to look at ourselves.  But even Pope Benedict was equally self-effacing.  When he was introduced as pope on the balcony, his first words were:

After the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord.  The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with inadequate instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.

And anybody who had the privilege of meeting Pope Benedict personally like I did saw firsthand, his humility, most evidently demonstrated in his decision to resign the papacy.

But even Pope John Paul, despite his charismatic gifts, was just as self-effacing.  Around the time of his funeral, I remember someone calling into Catholic Radio in Uganda, with a concern.  He had heard, that one of the dying wishes of Pope John Paul II, was to ask for prayers for his soul.  This caller, a Catholic was really disturbed and said: "If we have to pray for the pope, what hope is there for the rest of us?"  Thankfully the priest on the radio show explained to the caller, that like all the faithful, Pope John Paul too was a sinner, who needed God's mercy.

Conclusion

Coming back to how we see our own deacons, priests and bishops at home, let me suggest three take-away messages for us today.

1.    First, "cut your priests some slack;" they are only human beings who can and do make mistakes.  As I have demonstrated with our three recent popes, we priests ourselves will be the first to acknowledge that we are only poor instruments of the Lord.  There is no clearer evidence of this unworthiness, than having to celebrate Mass and preach with a stomach full of butterflies.

2.    Secondly, don't stake your faith on the minister of Christ, but on Christ who works through them.  I have heard of people who have left the Church perhaps because Father so-and-so offended them in some way.  Why leave Jesus because of the unfaithful Judas Iscariot; why not stay because of the faithful Peter?  Remember our successes as priests belong to Christ; but our failures are ours as human beings.

3.    Third and finally, the humanness of priests is not excuse for mediocrity.  Like the readings have shown us, God takes shapeless clay and moulds something beautiful out of it. In the same way, God always continues to work on his priests to make them worthier instruments of his.  That is why priests-to-be take at least six years of specialized training in the seminary, to say nothing about the general training in the Christian life that they receive at home.  What can you do to help your priests become a better instrument of God?  Perhaps encourage them, advise them, an most of all, pray for them.