Glory to God in the Highest!
Greetings on this the Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5; Matthew 10:24-33
Summary
The Preparation – At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.
The Sending – 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!”
The vision of the Lord enthroned in glory stamps an indelible character on Isaiah’s ministry and provides a key to the understanding of his message. The majesty, holiness and glory of the Lord took possession of his spirit and, at the same time, he gained a new awareness of human pettiness and sinfulness. The enormous abyss between God’s sovereign holiness and human sinfulness overwhelmed the prophet. Only the purifying coal of the seraphim could cleanse his lips and prepare him for acceptance of the call: “Here I am, send me!” See commentary: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/0
Reflection
What I say to you in the darkness (the recesses of the heart), speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
Personal Reflection
What a marvelous thing to witness to the conversion of a man who accepted the Sending. A sending that makes the enormous movement from judgement to participating in the salvific mission of the Lord. God doesn’t need more judges. He needs our humanity.
Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071126.cfm
Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry