Offer It Up! by Sam Miller

Offer It Up! by Sam Miller

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above. They cried one to the other, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!  All the earth is filled with his glory!"  At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, "Woe is me, I am doomed!  For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"  ⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with 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!" Isaiah 6:1b-2a, 3-8

Your right hand saves me. The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands. R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.  Psalms 138:7b-8

But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. 1 Corinthians 15:10a

"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."…"Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."  When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:8a, 10b-11

Piety

Help me, Lord, to stand in Your presence, to long to see Your face, to be made clean, to give all that You have given me as a gift to You, to be put in service to Your people!  Send me!!

Study

The short version:

From Isaiah, he (Isaiah) is being called, saved, cleansed and sent to bring God’s message to the people, God’s wayward people.

The psalmist plea is heard and he is saved to continue to be God’s man.

From 1^st Corinthians, Paul has been saved, cleansed (qualified) and set apart to deliver the Good News to all of God’s people.

In Luke’s Gospel, Peter doubted, obeyed, trusted, followed, ie, was called, cleansed of doubt, and convinced of the need to prioritize being in Jesus’ footsteps above all else.

The stretch version:

I am obviously fascinated with what I perceive to be a common thread running all through today’s readings! Isaiah, the psalmist, Paul, and Simon Peter all realize the need to be saved or forgiven and that they all have been saved And, as a result, each man says “Yes” to God’s call to go, continue, preach and follow in His service, offering it all up for the greater good of God’s people!

The first reading spoke specifically to Isaiah’s calling to be God’s messenger.  Whether in a vision or in physical reality, Isaiah was awed, shaken and awakened to hear God’s call for someone to send and was inspired to respond positively by saying: "Here I am, send me!"  Straight from the footnotes on the USCCB’s Bible website: “The psalmist, having experienced salvation, trusts that God will always be there in moments of danger (Ps 138:7–8).”  From 1 Corinthians, Paul knew he was the least of the apostles because of his persecution of God’s church before he was saved, by God’s grace, to be God’s messenger!  I have an idea of Simon Peter’s amazed expression when he realized he was a sinner and yet Jesus called him to follow, to become a fisher of men!  They all offered it up!  All were saved to serve!!!

Action:

For today, Lord, one breath of life at a time, grant that I may be ready to say, “Here I am, Lord, send me!”