Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man

6 SEPTEMBER (Lk 5,1-11)

The prophet sees the sin of his people as a timely act, as a current transgression. He sees his world immersed in sin, in all disobedience and he says it.

Alas! I am as when the fruit is gathered, as when the vines have been gleaned; There is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave. The faithful are gone from the earth, among men the upright are no more! They all lie in wait to shed blood, each one ensnares the other. Their hands succeed at evil; the prince makes demands, The judge is had for a price, The great man speaks as he pleases, The best of them is like a brier, the most upright like a thorn hedge. The day announced by your watchmen! your punishment has come; now is the time of your confusion. Put no trust in a friend, have no confidence in a companion; Against her who lies in your bosom guard the portals of your mouth. For the son dishonors his father, the daughter rises up against her mother, The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies are those of his household. But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will put my trust in God my savior; my God will hear me! Rejoice not over me, O my enemy! though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light. The wrath of the Lord I will endure because I have sinned against him, Until he takes up my cause, and establishes my right. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see his justice. (Mi 7,1-9).

However, there is another way of sensing sin. It is that of Isaiah in the temple of the Lord. He sees the holiness of God, the glory of the Almighty and feels the smallness of his being made of clay, earth, and infinite imperfections. He sees himself as an unclean man.

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft. “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!” they cried one to the other. “All the earth is filled with his glory!” At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it. “See,” he said, “now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!” (Is 6,1-8).

Simon Peter is in the same existential situation as Isaiah. He sees the holiness of Jesus, knows it is a divine, and not human holiness. He sees his own littleness and cries it out.

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

Before the holiness of Jesus, Simon Peter sees himself simply a man. Jesus too high. He, too low. Jesus, too divine. He, too human. But Jesus came for this very reason: to raise every man up to God. This will be the future mission of Simon Peter. Removing men from the sea of the world and lead them into the heaven of God. Uprooting his brothers from the earth and raising them up to paradise. He must bring to men all the holiness of Lord Jesus. This mission must never end on our earth.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels, and Saints, make us true missionaries of Jesus.