Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

The first reading, from the Prophet Isaiah, speaks about a vision that Isaiah had of the incredible presence and power of God. He felt totally incapable of expressing this reality of God. But God himself sends, through an angel, a capacity to sustain this experience. The angel touches Isaiah’s lips with a live coal and tells him that his sins are purged.

When we turn to the second reading, from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we hear this same experience of forgiveness, acceptance and humility. Here is a man who was persecuting those who followed Jesus and now he is forgiven and accepted and able to offer totally for the work of the Lord. Saint Paul’s conversion is a wonderful experience in his life and one that is at the focus of all of his later work of evangelization.

And in the Gospel, we have the testimony of Saint Peter. Again, here is a man who believes already in the Lord Jesus, but not completely, not enough to trust that letting down his nets when Jesus asks him to will bring any fish. It is another experience of the power and presence of Jesus Christ. Peter’s faith is deepened and his response is so clear and strong. Thus, he confessed by telling “Leave me Lord, for I am a sinful man! But we know that Jesus does not leave him alone.

All of us are invited to reflect on our own refusals to accept God and His power and His presence. God is not there to frighten us nor to condemn us but only to love us. Once we begin to believe and to accept forgiveness for our frailties, then we are able to be given over to the work of the Lord. As with Saint Peter, we can doubt many times and we can deny but eventually, when we begin to believe, our lives can be transformed into a reflection of God’s mercy, compassion and forgiveness.