Dearest Parishioners,

I hope you are having a blessed week.  It has been nice to enjoy the few days of sunshine that have been dispersed with the clouds and cold of this month.  As you might be aware all our Catechetical programs are well on their way and I would like to ask you to keep the children, teens and adults, journeying in their faith, present in your prayers.

The readings of today speak of God calling and capacitating.  We see this happen with the prophet Isaiah in today’s 1st reading.  Isaiah begins by describing an experience he has of God, an encounter with Him.  Through this experience of the holiness of God, of His power, he is left in awe and wonder in addition to a feeling of fear and unworthiness.  We see a similar reaction from Simon when he encounters Jesus through the miracle of the catch.  Peter falls to his knees in awe and wonder, expresses those feelings of fear and unworthiness with the words ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’.

Yet, in both cases God is able to see beyond their resistances and fear. He empowers them and capacitates them not only to follow Him but to be His messenger. Sometimes it is precisely in these feelings of doubt, fear, resistance and inadequateness where we are encountering God and He is acting and empowering us.  Perhaps it is an invitation to let go and surrender and trust even if we do not always understand Gods ways.

Are there areas of my life where I feel like I am on uncertain ground?  Where I am experiencing these doubts, fears and resistances? Perhaps God is present there in the midst of it all with an invitation for me to follow Him and to let Him act in my life.

And maybe when we trust His ways and let Him act in our life, we might be able to recite the words of the Psalm today with gratitude, with praise and glorifying Him with our lives.

Have a blessed week

Ann Marie, FMVD