Two readings today, two stories of regular people called by God to do great things. Things they probably thought that they couldn’t do or were scared to do, but they dropped everything anyway and heeded His call. And by following, they learned, they changed, and they were astounded. They must have pinched themselves at times, “Is this really happening to me?”

Let’s take a look.

First, we have Isaiah. In a vision, Isaiah sees, “The Lord seated on a high and lofty throne” with seraphim crying out in praise of God. In seeing this, Isaiah thinks he is going to die and recognizes how unworthy he is in the presence of God. “Woe to me,” he says, “I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips.” He is clearly frightened. 

But God has a plan for him. A seraphim flew to him holding a hot ember from the altar in heaven and touches Isaiah’s lips with it. This removes his wickedness and his sin is purged thus making him clean. God then asks, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”… meaning who can God send to the people of Israel to deliver His message. “Here I am, send me!” says Isaiah.

A sinful man, an unlikely man is called by God and becomes, arguably, one of the greatest prophets in the Bible delivering God’s message to Israel and to us.

Fast forward to Jesus’s day and Simon, later called Peter, has just returned from a night of fishing where they didn’t catch anything. A night of total futility. As they were cleaning their nets, a great crowd presses forward to get a glimpse of and to listen to a man that Simon has not seen before. The man, Jesus, asks Simon if he can preach from his boat and Simon agrees. So, Jesus preaches and afterward tells Simon to, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” 

Well, Simon must have been moved by the preaching of Jesus because, even after a futile night of fishing, he agrees to go back out and try again. Simon says, “At your command I will lower the nets.” And what a catch, enough to fill two boats! 

Upon witnessing first his preaching and then the catch, Simon too realizes that he is in the presence of pure holiness, and he feels totally inadequate. Simon falls to his knees and says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” 

I imagine Jesus standing there smiling when He says, “Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catchers of men.” Simon, James and John promptly, “left everything and followed him.” 

Isaiah and Simon, both frightened, and both feeling inadequate… feeling like there must be some mistake that He is choosing me. How can He want me? But yet, He did.

Do we ever feel that way? Do we ever feel sinful and unworthy, and think: why would he ever choose me? But yet… He does. God called Isaiah, Moses, and Abram. God called Saint Theresa of Calcutta, Mary Magdalene, and Saint Agatha. And, he calls each of us individually. He knows us deeply and completely, He loves us already, He calls us by name. Jesus saw Simon not as a sinful man, but someone He could build a Church with. He saw the person and the potential. 

He sees us the same way, not our sin, he sees us and our potential. Sure, He knows we sin. But really, He knows us as people, He sees in us something special, something He can work with… to help build His Church on earth. The long list of Saints were all people like us that listened when He called and became fishers of men and women. 

And so, we too are called, all of us, and it’s not too late to heed that call either. He has a plan tailored just for us. We may be afraid of what He might ask of us, but make no mistake, His call to each of us comes with the gift of His grace. He will help us, and our lives will be changed. It’s time to lower the nets at His command, it’s time to hear him say your sins are forgiven. 

Because we are worthy. Because we are loved, and we can be forgiven. Because we are wanted. So, imagine what you can do with Him at your side. Maybe in a small way, each of us can help build His Church. Maybe in a small way we can make a difference in someone’s life. And maybe in a not so small way, that grace changes our life too.

He is calling you and me. It’s time for us to heed His loving call.