We’ve all got plans… Some
of us have big plans – how we’re going to “change the world”… and others
have more simple plans to just settle down in our own little quiet corner of
the world and live happily ever after. Just
one problem with that - few of our plans actually turn out the way we expect
them to. Do you think God has anything
to do with that? He might…You know, every
time we pray, we pray this phrase : thy kingdom come, thy will be done… THY
will be done… not MY will be done. So do
we mean it? Do we REALLY want God to
make HIS will happen in our lives? If we
really mean it, “thy will be done” would be the toughest prayer to pray – because
we would be giving up all control. We’d
be doing what He wants – going where He wants – our plans would mean nothing.On the other hand, if you’ve ever met somebody who DOES pray
this prayer and really mean it – there’s something about them… they’ve got this
peace about them that the rest of us can only wish for. We THINK that giving-in to God’s will is the
hardest thing in the world, but it’s really more like jumping into the
river. We just have to take that first
step – then let His current carry us.
All three readings show us what happens when we encounter
God. It will be so peaceful, won’t
it? NOT! Isaiah
was sure he was going to die… why?
Because he had seen God! “woe is
me… I am doomed… for I am a man of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hosts!” Why was THAT
his reaction to seeing God? The Bible
makes it very clear that God cannot look upon evil… he can’t be in the presence
of sin…. So if you see God, you’re about to die.
Then in the Gospel,
Peter had a similar reaction… once he saw the miracle of the great catch of
fish, Peter realized that Jesus was no ordinary Man… He was God !– he fell on
his knees (something a Jew would never do for anyone but God) and said “depart
from me Lord, for I am a sinful man”… he must have been scared to death like
Isaiah.
See the common thread? – when WE see God, two things are
gonna happen. First – we will realize we
are unclean – we are sinful – we are WAY unworthy to be in the presence of
God. BUT once we’ve been humbled, we’ll recognize
that God isn’t out to kill us… no – we realize He has been calling us… “Whom shall I send”? “Come Follow Me…From now on you’ll be fishers
of Men”. You see the pattern? God reveals himself to us – and our first response
is to recognize our unworthiness – then out of gratitude, we leave everything
to follow him and do his will.
Even Paul had had that experience…. Paul was one of the
greatest servants of spreading the Word of God….writing a third of the New
Testatment. But before He could do that
– he had to be humbled.. so God knocked him off his high horse. Paul had his plans… and those plans included
killing all of the Christians… but God changed those plans. Paul’s life was never easy – but he
recognized that serving God was the TRUE path to peace.
Do you know anybody who lives like that? Every one of us does to one degree or another
– the fact that we’re here in Church right now means that we follow God’s plan
at least SOME! I mean, if we weren’t
following God’s plan, we’d all still be at home in bed. But do you know anybody who LIVES to do God’s
will? I hate to embarrass him, but I
think it’s no accident that Fr. Eugene is a priest. He had his plans – his plans included pigs
and farming… but at some point, he heard God ask him… whom will I send? And he answered… Send Me! And aren’t we glad he did?!
The other thing about someone who truly seeking God’s will –
it’s not a one-time thing. No – it’s an
every day – every moment prayer seeking to understand what God’s will is. They’re never satisfied with what they’ve
already done- but they’re always looking to improve themselves so that they can
do God’s will even better.
For example – last week Fr. Eugene announced at the end of
Mass that he hadn’t been doing a good job for several weeks and he promised to
do better. Well – most of us
misinterpreted that and got worried that something is wrong– but let me
explain. He actually recognized through
prayer some ways that he felt like he could step it up – ways that God was
calling Him to serve even BETTER… so he raised the bar – and again through
prayer, he felt like God wanted him to tell us all about it.
What an example of humility for us. What a blessing for us to have someone
humbling seeking God’s will to be our shepherd.
No – this is not just a Fr. Eugene Fan Club homily… this
challenge applies to each and every one of us.
Do we Seek God’s will? Where is he asking YOU to step it up? Do we allow HIS plans to trump our plans? I’m
positive that At least one person in here right now has been called by God to
be a priest – you know who you are… have we allowed God’s plans to become OUR
plans? It’s not just about priests
either - EVERY one of us has is being called to do SOMETHING for God every day…
to build up His kingdom… to help His people. Put
out to deep water! And we all want
to make excuses… we’ve been fishing all night and caught nothing… I’m
tired… I don’t have the skills… Let
somebody else do it…. But once we lower
those nets and see the great catch of fish… when we recognize the miracles that
come from serving God, then perhaps we’ll recognize that serving Him is the
ONLY true path to peace… THEN we can humbly say, “Send Me”…. and leave
everything to follow him.
