Fr. Eduardo Emilio Aguero, SCJ
After a moment of Eucharistic adoration at St. Rose of Lima school, a little girl, perhaps 6 or 7 years old, approached me and said, “Father Ed, Yyou say that Jesus speaks to us, but I can’t hear Him.” Children at this age often go straight to the heart of the matter, asking questions that can be challenging for us to answer. I simply told her, “Jesus speaks inside your heart.” Fortunately, the little girl didn’t ask a follow-up question, but I’m not sure she was satisfied with my answer.
What about us? Can we hear God’s voice? How do we experience His presence? How do we discern His will for us? The vocation of the Prophet Isaiah and the call of the first disciples in the Gospel of Luke address the issue of God’s manifestation to us.
After the death of King Uzziah, Isaiah experienced God’s Glory at the Temple of Jerusalem. This encounter with God’s majestic power and holiness transformed his life forever. He became a prophet of the Lord, a man called to share in God’s intimacy, who revealed to him His plan to renew and purify His people.
Like other prophets, Isaiah felt unworthy and dreaded experiencing the manifestation of God’s glorious presence: “I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.” But why mention the lips? And what does purification have to do with an ember touching Isaiah’s mouth?
A prophet in Israel is a person of the Word of God. This Word transforms him in such a way that his entire life and being convey God’s message to the people. The mouth and lips represent our capacity to express what is in our hearts. As Jesus said, “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him” (Mt 15:18). The book of Proverbs also teaches us that “Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin” (Prov 13:3); Unclean lips reveal the reality of a sinful heart. Isaiah recognizes before the Lord his and Israel’s unworthiness to handle God’s Word. How could he be a witness to God’s will for Israel if he cannot be consistent with what he is supposed to preach?
God addressed Isaiah’s inadequacy by purifying his mouth with an ember. This kind of purification by fire is not a magical instant moment but a process in which the Lord tests our hearts: “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart” (Prov 17:3).
It is the Lord, in His mercy and with His wonderful power, who sanctifies and empowers us to listen to His Word, assimilate it, and be free and available to be sent into the world. The Holy One of Israel, as Isaiah often calls Him, consecrates His prophet in two moments. First, by manifesting His might and calling His servant to be in His holy place, which in this case is the Temple. For Moses, it was the burning bush: “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Ex 3:5). The second moment is the sending off for a mission: God asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” (Is 6:8). This two-fold dimension of a prophet’s life makes him a mediator of God’s Word. He becomes a man of God, who identifies with God’s view of the world, is very sensitive to the reality of sin in his people and is committed to bringing about change and hope.
In the Gospel of Luke, we find a similar theme. Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, comes to the people at the shore of the lake of Galilee. The people who went there to listen to His teaching were pressing in on Him. Jesus is more than a prophet: He is the perfect sacrament of God’s Word present among the people. He chose Simon’s boat to be His “cathedra,” the authoritative place from which He teaches the people. The boat of Peter represents the Church. Jesus built His Church on the foundation of the apostles, the ones He made “fishers of men.”
Like the prophets, Jesus’ would-be disciples are called to delve into the Word of God. Luke figuratively presents this reality: Jesus asks Simon to draw into deep waters and cast his nets for a catch. Like Isaiah, Simon presents his objection: “We have toiled the whole night and have caught nothing,” but eventually he decides to obey: “But at your command,” which could also be translated as “upon your Word, I will cast my nets”. The nets represent his capacity to apprehend God’s message and discern God’s will. This capacity is what we call the gift of faith.
Are we willing to venture into deep waters, or do we prefer to live superficial lives? This is a challenge for all of us to embark on Peter’s boat, meditate on the Word of God, listen to the teachings of the Church, and delve into the depths of His holy will, discovering our true selves and vocation. We can also experience His comforting presence: “Don’t be afraid,” and then be fully available to follow Him and fulfill the mission He entrusts to us: “They left everything and followed Him” (Lk 5:11).
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