Household

First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-2, 3-8

In the year that King Uzzi'ah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven." And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

Psalm: Psalm 138:1-5, 7-8

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or 15:3-8, 11

Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Gospel: Luke 5:1-11

While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes'aret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb'edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men. And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Reflection
By Grace Madriñan

I miss our “household” sessions. I miss it not only for our weekly prayer gatherings, but also for that kind of friendship we have developed through the years. Apart from the different kind of bonding, it became like a support group which is a source of strength for our daily hurdles. But after most of my friends have gone working overseas, I did not get to experience that same “household” anymore.


And when I moved to a new working environment, I hoped for that same kind of “household” to evolve. But I knew that same formula does not apply to all, and I cannot expect to establish the same kind overnight.

It had been difficult adjusting to the new culture, and I have to keep up with the pace. There are a few times when I had to bottle up my emotions for fear of being judged as weak. In order to satisfy my hunger for the Holy Spirit to console me, I attended Mass every Wednesday during lunch time. I used to have 2 officemates as company but sooner, we became 4, and now, there are 6 of us who are regularly attending Mass every Wednesday. After which, we will have our late lunch where we exchange thoughts about the Gospel and the homily. When faced with tough deliverables at work, we’d find ourselves gathering in a prayer. Although it’s not a regular event, it’s the closest to what I had in my previous household. And for that, I’m very thankful.

“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets. (Luke 5:5)”

This verse from today’s Gospel reminded me of my previous struggles. At first, all toils seem to be in vain. But in obedience, I carried on with day to day challenges, kept the faith and persevered. It was not a perfect journey but God makes every opportunity perfect. At His command, I continued on. Not long enough, He supplied me with what I hoped for, a similar refuge I can rely on. And everything else falls into place.

  Prayer
Father, we have worked all day and night and oftentimes, faced with failure. But at Your command, we will carry on and persevere as we pursue the mission You have asked of us. Amen.