With Opened Bible
When God chooses us, it is he who qualifes us.
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." (Luke 5:8)
The first reading and the gospel of this Sunday invite us to contemplate the awe-inspiring nature of divine glory and power, evoking in us a sense of humility and reverence. Yes, these two modes of reactons are well rooted in the Bible. First is wonder (fascinosum), which makes one discover that God is powerful and signifcant. We saw this attude in the Red Sea episode. Israel was amazed at the power of God, who opened the sea and made them cross on dry land: "When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore and saw the great power that the LORD had shown against Egypt, the people feared the LORD. They believed in the LORD and Moses, his servant. (Exodus 14:30-31)
This same attitude is also found in the episode of Isaiah's vocation this Sunday (Isaiah 6) The man of God was overwhelmed by the celestial splendor of this glorious Being: "I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofyy throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above." (Isaiah 6:1) For the prophet, seeing means contemplating the glory. In contemplating the glory, he was amazed. In the Gospel of Luke, this wonder is expressed by the attitude of those who were in the boat with Peter: "For astonishment at the catch of fsh they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon." (Luke 5:9-10)
Finally, the fear (tremendum), which expresses this recognition of one's smallness, of one's sin. Moses recognized himself as incapable of being the Spokesman of God because he was a stutterer (Exodus 4:10-14). Isaiah recognized it in his own way: "Woe is me, I am doomed!" For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; However, my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" (Isaiah 6,:5) Moreover, finally, Peter: "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." (Luke 5, 8) What does the attitude of Peter and Isaiah teach us? When God chooses us, it is he who qualifies us. He calls us first and makes us instruments of his mercy. (John 15:16) It is good to recognize oneself as a sinner and unworthy of his grace, but it is just as important to see him with wonder because he is the "thrice holy" (Isaiah 6:3), the One who restores us completely.
