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(9th Feb 2025) Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Isa 6: 1-2, 3-8; 1Cor 15:1-11; Lk 5: 1-11)

REFLECT: Realize to renew life in God through Christ…

My dear friends, we are in the fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In life, at one point of time or another, we realize who we are, what we are and where we are to go and how we have to go about. The realization of every activity that we do gives us a push and a fresh start something new in life. I am sure, we all of us have had this kind of realization in life. if not, be for sure, we will soon have such realization in life. Certainly that would be a most awaited transforming experience to renew one’s life. Delving a little deeper, we understand that the liturgy of the word invites each one to reflect on such realization, wherein we renew life to orient our lives in God and accordingly for the good of all in our world. Thereore, based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflection.

1.      God makes the weak strong

In one way or the other, we realize or we are made to realize by someone that we are weak and vulnerable or as strong or more effective. I must acknowledge in all certainty that the bible is full of episodes of people, who have reached great heights of life by God’s generosity and his powerful action on people. One such episode that we have in today’s first reading is the call narrative of prophet Isaiah. It is perhaps a pure goodness and greatness of God, where we see God makes the weak and feeble Prophet Isaiah strong and effective, bold and a blessing to the people. God makes him realize that he can do wonderful and marvelous things for God by God’s power and assistance. And so, towards the end of the first reading we hear Prophet Isaiah saying, “Lord, here I am send me.”

The call of Isaiah, cleansing of Isaiah and commissioning of Isaiah makes him realize that God God could far better and most beatiful things in our lives, when we acknowledge ourselves who we are. Prophet Isaiah, although initially he feels inadequte, low and unworthy, soon he realizes that God can purify, equip and make the weak to obtain strength, make the sinner a saint, provided we are open to God’s invitation for vocation and mission. Today, among us many have these sort of feeling that I am small, feeble, what I can do with my limitations and weaknesses, or with little things I have. Of course, what we could certainly do is to believe in God and belief in God would make us really strong to face any stormy seas of life. This episode of Isaiah gives us clear glimpse that God will make a way where no one can make; God will take us where no one can take; God will make use of us far beyond our human capacity and thinking, because our God is a God of power and might, a God  who does  great things to all who believe and realize God’s  presence.

In this regard, Pope Francis very beautifully tells us, “It is this weakness that we all have, after the wound of original sin: we are weak, we slide into sins, we cannot go forward without the Lord’s help. Thus, recognizing and confessing our weakness is truly indispensable”. Indeed, one who thinks he is strong, who thinks he can do it on his own, is at least naïve and, in the end, is a man defeated by so many weaknesses which he carries within himself. Instead, weakness leads us to ask the Lord for help, in our weakness, we can do nothing without God’s help.” Yes, we are vulnerable and feebly by nature, but when we realize that we can become strong when we are open to him and surrender our lives totally unto his hands. So let us believe without any hesitation that God would make us strong, because if God has called us, he would qualify us to be people with good quality and good quality is sign of God’s strenght and power over us.  

2.      God’s grace makes us gracious

We read in St. Paul’s Second letter to Corinthians, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9).”  Yes, the grace of God is sufficient, but the problem is that we don’t realize that we have the grace of God in us and that too is quite sufficient. That’s what St. Paul says in today’s second reading we read, narrating to us the entire life event of Jesus of what he did, how he suffered, died, rose and appeared to the apostles and how the apostles acted on Jesus’ mission. St. Paul very strongly attests to the fact that all that he has done is not his own effort but God’s grace in him through Jesus Christ. That’s why he says, 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.

Yes, the grace of God in St. Paul made him a different person, filled with passion and enthusiasm for God’s word and mission. St. Paul realized the grace of God in him with the encounter he had on the way to Damascus. Similarly, each one of us has a special grace as Christians or as children of God, but what makes us special is the grace of God, our fellowship and union with Jesus and the communion of the Holy Spirit. The trinity centered life makes us special and gracious people to God and to one another. Indeed, when we realize that we have this grace of God in us, we can be gracious to one another, otherwise we would end up our lives in disgrace, because we engage in worldly affairs and ambition that ruin one’s spirit and spiritualiy, love and zeal for God and his word in our lives.

Most of us fail to remember that we have the grace of God within us and our downfall is the failure to realize the richness and fulness of God’s grace. It is the grace of God that makes us gracious and loving; it is the grace of God that makes us great and grateful; it is the grace of God that makes us gentle and strong. That’w what we would hear in St. Paul’s letter to Ephesians, “Grace is God’s unearned love and forgivness” (Eph 2: 8-9). So how can we be gracious to people today by the grace of God is what we need to look forward to. It could be our kind words of expression of love and forgiveness even when someone is rude; forgiving instantly wihout holding any grudges or hatred; reaching out to people without expecting anything in return; whispering prayer for those who have hurt us or hate us or towards those whom we have aversion. We can be sure that the grace of God in us would bring a definite change for good. The best example is St. Paul, he had such an aversion and dislike towards christians but he began to love immensely Christ and Christians. It is because of God’s grace and the presnce of Jesus in him. So let us realize that the grace of God can make us gracious, provided we are open to God’s grace and graciousness.

3.      God’s presence creates difference

We read in the book of Genesis, God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Gen 1:27). God created us in his likeness, so that we realize we are his, we realize that we are his embodiment, we realize that God’s presence overshadows and protects us always. Perhaps, our failure in our realization that we are God’s and God is with us makes us feel different from the other. Therefore, lots of conflicts and sufferings, we fail to recognize God in our lives and in the other as well.

Today’s gospel reading helps us to understand, what effect or how effective we can be when we realize God’s presence in our lives. The gospel presents to us in the response of Peter, that they worked all night and caught nothing but Jesus asks them to let the fishing nets down the deep waters. We know what happened, a large number of fish they caught to the extent of the fishing net being torn. The presence of Jesus creates wonder everywhere, provided we realize. Further the realization of Jesus in our live will reveal who we are. That’s what peter the apostle feels saying, “Lord depart from me that I am a sinful man.” The realization of the presence of Jesus will enable us to understand who we are and will give us provisions to become who we supposed to be as God’s children. Yes, God’s presence can create difference only if we realize his presence in our lives otherwise we will have a different outlook towards life, ending up life in failure and turmoil.

Pope Francis very beautifully underscores the importance of God’s closeness with the humanity. And so, Pope Francis says, “In times of illness, we sense our human frailty on the physical, psychological, and spiritual levels. Yet we also experience the closeness and compassion of God, who, in Jesus, shared in our human suffering. He also emphasized that God’s first way of being close is through presence, noting that suffering becomes an occasion for a transformative encounter, the discovery of a solid rock to which we can hold fast amid the tempests of life.” Yes, that’s what we see in the Gospel reading of the day, the disciples were physically and psychological were down as they cauught nothing, after attempting whole night. Probably, they might have been with a heavy heart as what to do and how to go about. However, the encounter of Jesus and his words of assurance give a ray of hope for the disciples and to cast out the net into the see and experience a large catch of fish. Such a miracle and optimism take place by the presence of Jesus. The disciples and very speically Peter realized the presence of God and his power, allowed themselves to be moved by Jesus’ presence and his words.

Today, what we need to realize is God’s presence in our lives and allowing God to use us in our ministries or mission or any ventures to religious and family life. Once we realize God’s presence, we would allow God to take control of life. Once God takes control of life, he works miracles and wonders through. The working out of miracle and wonders of God in our lives is a proof that we are with God and God’s presence creates difference in our lives. Most of us have failed to realize the presnce of God within us and around us. Peter, the apostle realized and that’s why he could say, “Lord, depart from me I am a sinful man.” Yes, the Lord not only makes us realize our littleness and vulnerabliltiy rather enables us to overcome our littleness, makes us strong and above all make us work for his glory. So let us pray and realize that God makes the weak strong, God’s grace makes us gracious and God’s presence makes difference in our lives bringing healing, renewal and reformation to live life in the Lord and for God, for his people and for God’s glory.

To conclude; Self realization helps us to realize who we are but God realization helps us to realize who we supposed to be as God’s children. So let us realize the presence of God in our lives and present our lives as a worthy offering to God. Let us realize the uniquness of God’s call as christians, religious and human persons, thus renewing our lives to be in close union with God.

RESPOND:

Do we believe in the power of God that God makes the weak –strong?

Do we believe that God’s grace makes us gracious and loving to one another?

Do we realize the presence of God amidst us and do we believe that God’s presence creates a specific difference that inspires and aspires other to follow Jesus?

Let us believe in God’s power, God’s grace and God’s presence and create a huge difference in our lives, inspiring, aspiring and renewing our lives in God. Amen.

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS