Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time • Work: Blessing or Curse?



GREETINGS FROM THE PASTOR

Today we gather together to celebrate the Mass for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time and I wondered if you knew what the Priest says as he bows to the altar before he reads the Gospel? When he goes from his chair to the pulpit, he stops and bows his head and says, “Cleanse my heart and my lips Almighty God as you cleansed the lips of the prophet Isaiah with a burning coal, so cleanse me that I may worthily proclaim the Holy Gospel.” Did you ever wonder where those words came from in scripture? Well, they came from the passage that we read from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah from today’s Mass.

Isaiah proclaims his unworthiness saying, “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 the angel flew to me holding an ember that he had taken from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, 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!”

In your own study of Sacred Scripture, try to pick out passages that you find in the various passages you read in the Bible. You would be amazed at how many there are. It is always amazing where the various foundations of what is important in our Religion appear Sunday after Sunday.

In the year’s earliest Gospels, the calling of the Apostles is upper most. Are we aware that today’s followers of Christ are still being called? Do we pray for vocations? We know that there are young men and women out there, so keep up the prayers! We have an obligation that is serious. We want to have followers in the years to come. Remember that Peter and Andrew and James and John were there at the beginning; who will be there tomorrow?

--FR DAVE