CALLED!
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: God has a plan for each one of us, and calls us. What is our response? Perhaps we feel we are unworthy to do what God wants us to do. Fear not! The Lord will strengthen us for his mission if we say: “Here I am, Lord; send me.” We pray that we may say “yes” to the Lord who calls us.
Penitential Rite
L: For our failure to respond to God’s call, we ask him to forgive us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you called Peter the fisherman who was deeply aware that he was a sinful man:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you called Paul
who considered himself unfit to be an apostle because he persecuted the church of God:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you call us unworthy though we are:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: Holy God our Father,
you entrust your Good News of life
to weak and fallible people.
Keep us from discouragement
and give us the strength to speak your message
with the language of our life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8
Psalm Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8
Response In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or 15:3-8, 11
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me
and I will make you fishers of men.
Gospel Luke 5:1-11
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are on the Lake of Gennesaret, and you witness the miraculous haul of fish. What are your thoughts and feelings when you see the boats filled with fish caught during the day and when you hear the dialogue between Jesus and Peter?
Sunday Snippets
A man in the choir couldn’t sing well. The conductor asked him to leave the choir. He refused. The conductor complained to the pastor: “You’ve got to get that man out of the choir; else I’m resigning.” The pastor spoke to the man and gently suggested that he leave the choir. The man asked: “Why?” The pastor said: “Four or five people have told me you can’t sing.” The man replied: “That’s nothing! Fifty people have told me you can’t preach!”
Competence is not a criterion the Lord uses when he calls people. He often calls the most unlikely people! Today’s readings describe the call of Isaiah, of Paul, of Peter; each felt unworthy in God’s presence. When they confessed their inadequacy before God, God made them ready to serve him. A seraph touched Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal from the altar and said: “Your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” To Simon Peter, Jesus said: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”
Availability and the readiness to follow God’s directives are other qualities these three have in common. Isaiah promptly responded to the Lord: “Here am I; send me!” Paul was full of zeal and worked harder than all those who were called before him. Peter and his partners “left everything and followed” Jesus.
When we follow the guidance of the Lord, we achieve mind-blowing results. Peter and his men toiled all night long and caught nothing. When they followed the Lord’s guidance which, humanly speaking, did not make much sense (fishermen did not set the net in broad daylight), the result was a miraculous haul of fish.
The Lord continues to ask: “Whom shall I send?” He still needs messengers (like Isaiah) to proclaim his Good News in the temple; (like Paul) to announce it in foreign lands; (like Peter) to speak for him in the workplace and bring one’s coworkers to follow the Lord.
I may feel unworthy and incompetent for the work of God. But… am I available? If so, the Lord will qualify me for his mission, as he did with Isaiah, Paul, and Peter.
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
What did Isaiah, Paul, and Peter have in common?
God had some big tasks in mind for them. What might be some small things or baby steps that God could call me to do first till I get used to saying yes to bigger tasks?
Reading 1: Do I think the Lord is calling me for any task? How do I respond to his call?
Reading 2: “For I am… not fit to be called an apostle.” Is fit/worthy the measure God uses to call a person? Let me reflect on the inconsistency between what Paul was and what he was asked to do?
Gospel: Where did Peter have to go before he could catch the fish in the lake? Where did he have to go in his personal life before he could ‘catch’ people?
When am I on the shore and when am I in the deep?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: As God’s chosen people, let us bring before our Father in heaven the needs and prayers of all people, and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may be attentive to God’s invitations and allow Jesus to draw our attention away from our fear and limits so that we can respond to all that God asks, we pray…
R: For the world: that God may inspire those working to reduce tension in war-torn areas, bring forth new understanding of one another’s concerns, and open new paths for justice and respect, we pray…
R: For all who lead others to God, particularly spiritual directors and retreat preachers: that God may inspire their words, open hearts to receive them, and help many to encounter Christ, we pray…
R: For all discerning God’s call or starting a new commitment: that God may free them from fear, guide them, and help them to trust that he will provide all that they need for this mission, we pray…
R: For all of creation: that we may grow in ecological consciousness and take small steps to conserve natural resources, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may follow Christ away from the noise and demands of daily life and enter the silent depths of our hearts where we can hear God’s words of life and love, we pray…
L: Lord our God, we are but weak people. Make us fit to carry out any task you wish us to do, by the strength of Jesus Christ our Lord forever and ever.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
on the Lake of Gennesaret
you encountered Peter, James, and John.
At your word, they cast their nets into the deep
though they had laboured all night and caught nothing.
The result: broken nets, hold-overs, loaded with fish.
You called them to be fishers of men and women.
Lord,
touch my lips as you did with Isaiah
and cleanse my unworthiness.
Let me fall on my knees as did Simon Peter
and make me deeper than my doubts.
Give me your grace just as you did with Paul.
Please overcome the chasm
that lies between who I am
and whomever you might call me to be.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Lord our God,
in your love you have called each of us
to a task of life and a place in your plan
which no one else can fulfil for us.
Make each of us
capable of our mission
and send us out into the deep
by the strength of Jesus Christ,
who is Lord for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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