TWO "Rs" THAT STILL NEED LEARNING

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

This past week, across the country, the Church celebrated Catholic Schools Week. Catholic Schools have been in the news a good bit locally here in Philly and the whole theme gave me a chance to remember my school days where I learned the 3 Rs -- Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. I suppose that I got by in those subjects and I learned how to read, write and add. But in reflecting on my school days and the most valuable subjects to me, I discovered 2 more Rs which I never had a class in, but which to me mean the most in my life. They are REVERENCE and RESPECT.

While the other Rs no doubt are important in life, with REVERENCE and RESPECT forget it. Our lives would not get very far, indeed would not mean much at all. Without these reverence and repect, we would be just big babies, unruly children in grown up skin...and that my friends is a grim possibility.

My friends, it is these two subjects which we discover in our readings today and which shine so brightly for us. And thus, are worthy of some reflection.

We find in the first reading, the prophet Isaiah receiving his call from the Lord. We are told that he is caught up in an encounter with God: the temple is filled with incense, and he is quite overwhelmed by the sight. His first response is that of reverence, clearly he is in the presence of the holy, holy, holy Lord, who is worthy of his respect and honor. He feels unworthy, but receives that touch of the Lord, a call that would change his life forever.

We see something similar in the Gospel as well. First we hear that the crowd is "pressing in on Jesus, listening to his Word". Isn't that beautiful?? Would that we would do the same, press in on the Lord to hear his Word. That's reverence and respect at work. But there's still more!

Our Lord goes over to the rough and tough fishermen. He tells them to "put out to the deep and lower your nets for a catch". At first, there is some resistance: "Lord, we've been at it all night". But then in a beautiful act of humilty they lower their nets. Alot more was lowered that night besides nets, they lowered their pride which yielded to reverence and respect. Then, there is a great catch of fish and even better a great catch of men, as Jesus "catches" the Apostles. Their response is one of humility and reverence and they heed the call of Jesus, "they left it all and followed him."

My friends, it seems to me that in our highly educated and sophisticated society today, we have lost a lot of reverence and repect. Oh, we may know how to read and write, but without reverence and respect, we are all in trouble. These gifts really do open the gates for true wisdom and life. For when I have reverence and respect for the Lord, for others present in my heart, then I have Love and Love is God. And this is the greatest gift of all.

We might ask ourselves then, What do I reverence in my life. We might even pray...
Lord, give me a reverent heart, a heart on fire with Love for you, not on fire with anger, lust and pride. Teach me Lord to lower the nets of my pride which tangle me up over and over again. Give me Lord the grace to hold you as sacred in my heart, that I may love you, revere you and become like you.

God will answer such a prayer as this, he will teach us, he will give us these 2 great virtues and we like the apostles and Isaiah will never be the same again.