February 9, 2025
Revised Common Lectionary
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
Lectionary for Mass (RC)
Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8
Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8 (1c)
1 Corinthians 15: (1-2) 3-8 (10) 11
Luke 5:1-11
The following reflection is based on today’s readings from Isaiah and Luke. For a Word and Song reflection on today’s lesson from 1 Corinthians, click here.
The appointment of Oscar Romero as Archbishop of San Salvador in 1977 was warmly welcomed by the wealthy and powerful in the capital city of El Salvador. Through much of his ministry, he had “stayed in his lane,” declining to embrace liberation theology, shutting down pastoral activities that might displease the government, and closing his eyes to the plight of the poor.
Just three weeks after his installation, however, he traveled to the village of El Paisnal, where his friend Father Rutilio Grande had been murdered by a military death squad along with a sacristan and his grandson. The priest had been targeted for his advocacy for the poor.
The murder of Father Rutilio shook Romero to his core. At an outdoor Mass attended by more than 100,000 people in the capital, he spoke in support of priests who were willing to risk their lives in service of the Gospel. One witness observed, “Thousands of people were applauding him, and you could see him grow stronger. It was then that he crossed the threshold. He went through the door. Because, you know, there is baptism by water, and there is baptism by blood. But there is also baptism by the people.”
Romero’s journey parallels the profound encounters we hear about in today’s readings, where both Isaiah and Peter are confronted with God’s call and invited to respond. The call of Oscar Romero to be an advocate for the poor and the oppressed, to proclaim the Gospel boldly and plainly in the face of wealthy interests and an authoritarian government, marked a dramatic turning point in his life and would ultimately lead to his assassination in 1980.
Isaiah received a vision of the heavenly liturgy as he worshiped in the Temple. Filled with awe, he responded to the call to be God’s messenger and accepted his mission to be a prophet. Peter was overwhelmed by a staggering catch of fish and responded to the invitation of Jesus by leaving everything behind to follow him. Just as Isaiah encountered God’s presence in the Temple and was moved to say, “Here I am, send me” (Is 6:8), Romero’s experience in El Paisnal opened his heart to a new mission. As Romero celebrated the Eucharist with the poor and dispossessed and heard their voices, he became aware of his call to preach the Gospel and to speak out for justice and social change.
The stories of Isaiah, Peter, and Oscar Romero show that God’s call can come in many ways. By virtue of our baptism, we all share the mission of Jesus “to bring good news to the poor, . . . to proclaim release to the captives, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Lk 4:18-19). Each of us in our own life situation will receive that call differently.
Becoming aware of God’s call can fill us with fear or doubt. Isaiah initially protested that he was “a man of unclean lips” (Is 6:5), while Peter dropped to his knees and objected, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Lk 5:8). Scripture attests how time and again God confounds human standards by choosing those who are weak, sinful, or lowly. In his introduction to a collection of Romero’s writings, The Violence of Love, the late Henri J. M. Nouwen noted that he “does not hide his fears, his brokenness, his hesitations.” Like us, Romero was an ordinary person who responded to God’s call by giving everything he had despite his human weakness.
When we accept God’s call, we are usually unaware of what it may cost us. Isaiah was given the unenviable task of proclaiming a message that would be rejected (Is 6:9 ff.). Oscar Romero, like Peter and the other apostles before him, faced severe resistance to his preaching from those in power and would eventually give his life. Most of us will never be called to pay that ultimate price but speaking truth to power or aligning ourselves with the poor, the marginalized, and the immigrant can lead to rejection and ridicule.
As we gather for worship and hear God’s word today, let us reflect on how God might be speaking to us and calling us to bring God’s compassion and love to others in our communities and into the world, to announce the year of God’s favor to those who may be living in darkness or fear.
A Hymn for Today: “Enviado soy de Dios / The Lord sends us forth”
This hymn expresses well the Christian response to God’s call in caring for others and doing the work of justice. The text was written in Spanish by Cuban Pentecostal Pastor José Aguiar and the English translation that appears here was done by U.S. Lutheran Gerhard M. Cartford. Listen here.
Enviado soy de Dios,
mi mano lista está
para construir con él
un mundo fraternal.
Los ángeles no son
enviados a cambiar
un mundo de dolor
en un mundo mejor;
me ha tocado a mí
hacerlo realidad
Ayúdame, Señor,
A hacer tu voluntad.
The Lord now sends us forth
prepared to serve and give,
To make of all the earth
a better place to live.
The angels are not sent
into our world of pain
To do what we were meant
to do in Jesus’ name;
That falls to you and me
and all in Christ made free.
Help us, O Lord, we pray,
to do your will today.
Text: José Aguiar, ©; tr by Gerhard M. Cartford 1923-2016, alt. © 1998, Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-729857.
Tune: ENVIADO (Aguiar)
Image Credit: Mural in El Paisnal, El Salvador, depicting St. Oscar Romero, Fr. Rutilio Grande, and rural people of El Salvador
“Word and Song: A Lectionary Reflection” is written by the Executive Director of The Hymn Society, Rev. Dr. Mike McMahon. For his full bio, click here and scroll down to the “staff” section.
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