“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 6:8)
Reflections on the readings for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 6, 2022): IS 6:1-2,3-8; PS 138:1-2,2-3,4-5,7-8; 1 COR 15:1-11; LK 5:1-11
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
Not only the Apostles and other early disciples, but also every single person who embraces Christ as the Son of God is called to spread the word.
In St. Paul’s first letter to the people of Corinth whom he had converted to faith in Christ, he sums up the magnitude and the truth of all he had taught them. “I am reminding you, brothers and sister, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. … For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that He was buried; that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1,3-4). Paul urges them to understand that everything He told them about Jesus was real. This was not something he or others had made up. People then living had seen and heard and known Christ. And many were eyewitnesses to His appearances after His Crucifixion and Resurrection. Paul himself had encountered Christ in a vision.
Paul reassured the Corinthians that Jesus was the Redeemer of the world whose sacrifice opened the gates of heaven to all who believe in Him and follow His way. This is what Jesus called St. Peter and the other Apostles to do when He told them they would be catching men. What was also clear was that our Lord wanted them to help each other in sharing the news of salvation. Not only the Apostles and other early disciples, but also every single person who embraces Christ as the Son of God is called to spread the word. We need to do more than believe in Him, we need to understand that faith comes with responsibility. We need to love and serve Him by loving and serving others with the same generosity He has shown us. We are not merely sharing a good story, we are sharing life itself. By walking in the way of Christ in time, we will follow His into eternity. By offering our own example of His mercy and goodness, we invite those around us to take a journey that leads from earth to heaven. This is the vocation of each Christian.
Suggested missionary action: Let us ask Christ to guide us in sharing our faith in Him through the everyday generosity and respect for which all people yearn. Let us do so in His name and always out of love for Him.