Here I am

Sunday | OT | 5th | C
 
Vancouver, February 10, 2019
 
In chapter 6 of the book of the prophet Isaiah we have the period when the Kingdoms of Judah, the southern Kingdom and the kingdom of Israel, the northern Kingdom were divided. King Uzziah reigned in the southern Kingdom around 750 years before the Birth of Christ. Here, we hear the prophet Isaiah speaking. The Prophet Isaiah is at the beginning of his prophetic ministry, and how does this come about? How is Isaiah acknowledged as prophet?
 
We already hear of these prophecies -- these visions, of -- “the Lord sitting on a throne…” and this beautiful image of “his robe filled the temple.” And the seraphim are part of the choir of angels. And what are these seraphic angels saying, “Holy holy holy, is the Lord God of hosts.” These words from Isaiah should sound familiar to us because they are the same words we use at Mass just before the Eucharistic prayer, when we say or sing, Holy holy holy, or in Latin, Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.
 
So, we can see how the prophetic words of Isaiah have been included in the Roman Catholic liturgy. The entire earth is filled with the glory of God. How is that possible? Where do you see the glory of God?

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We see it in creation, because everything God created is good. In the different trees and different animals, but especially in the creation of the man and woman, God’s human creation is very good. Wherever we see goodness we see God’s presence. Imagine, with this prophetic vision, Isaiah is saying, essentially, why are you asking, calling me because my lips and the people among whom I live also have unclean lips.
 
Isn’t this the dilemma of each one of us, where we know we are sinners, yet God is calling us, calling us to be united with Him, in Communion with Him, to share our experiences of God’s love with others; to reach out to others…like Isaiah, we are inhibited, we hesitate, because, “who am I,” after all: I have unclean lips and I live with unclean people. Is this not what we think and feel? And yet, God calls us. In spite of our sinful condition.
 
Have you ever wondered: what is it that we do not like about sin? We know is displeases God. But what about us? We do not like being lied to. We do not like betrayal. We do not like it someone insulting us. Or people talking behind our back. It’s disturbing, hurtful, painful when we have these sinful experiences directed towards us. The same applies when we do this to this to others. And certainly, God’s holiness cannot tolerate sin. The difficulty with sin it obstructs us from moving forward,
 
But we have our sins blotted out not by burning coal, but through the blood of Christ whose mercy we re-experience at Confession. The priest at Confession blots out our sins not with burning coal – thankfully -- but like burning coal, with the words of absolution, and these words of forgiveness are only possible by Christ’s death and resurrection.
 
And so, Isaiah can say, “Here I am: send me!”
 
God calls each of us and sends each of us, to fulfil our prophetic mission of salvation, each of us as members of the Church, as members of Christ’s body, we each have our mission. But we cannot let sin discourage us; not what we see, not what we hear, not what we experience. This is Satan who makes us think that our sins our too great, and we are too sinful to carry out God’s plan. This is why God sent His Son into the world; so we may have forgiveness, so our sins may be blotted out, and so we can bring Christ to others in the hope of Everlasting Life. In the First Letter to the Corinthians ch. 15 what does St. Paul tells us? That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.
 
Christ died for our sins. Isaiah had his sins blotted out by burning coal, but we have our sins removed by the blood of Christ. When St. Paul says Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures – what Scriptures is he talking about? During St. Paul’s time there is no New Testament. There are writings about the life and teachings of Jesus but there isn’t a New Testament. The only Scriptures they have is the Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures: the OT prophesises that the Messiah will be sacrificed like an unblemished lamb. The point St. Paul is making is that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies, the long awaited Messiah – in accordance with the Scriptures. And this is the confirmation: Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One.
 
Because Jesus died for our sins, no longer would their be animal sacrifice as in Exodus or burning coal purifying lips, but rather, the eternal sacrifice offered by the Son of God. In chapter 5 of St. Matthew’s Gospel, Do we not identify at times with the words of St. Peter, “Go away from me Lord for I am a sinful man.” This is why Isaiah felt afraid -- knowing he was a sinful man and lived among sinful people; similarly, this is what Peter feels “I am a sinful man.”
 
When we find ourselves before the holiness and perfection of God, we become aware of our unworthiness to be even standing in His presence because we are sinners. Yet, the words of St.Peter are crucial: “go away from me Lord for I am a sinful man.” Peter will discover the Truth in the teachings of Jesus, Peter will experience the forgiving love of Jesus; Peter will experience the meaning of the sacrificed lamb at the last supper. Peter knew he was a sinful man and he acknowledged it. “Go away from me for I am a sinful man.” And Jesus even knew Peter would betray him. And yet, And yet, Peter is not too weak or too fragile or too sinful for Jesus. Peter himself had a profound experience of Jesus.
 
When we encounter Jesus, when we meet Him, our lives are forever changed.
 
The love of Jesus is far greater than any sin. This love is eternal – the love of Jesus Christ not only saves us, but leads us to eternal life. The woman who remained united with Jesus during her entire life was the Blessed Virgin Mary. She too needed a Saviour, but to save her from Original Sin from which Mary was preserved. Mary knew Jesus was the Messiah from her conception and with the Messiah Mary would be united at the Cross. Mary understood that only through Jesus, Son of God, could there be everlasting life.
 
And this is the same message for us to receive on our lips and in our hearts:
Here I am Lord, send me.

Amen.