My first few days in the seminary were spent, not learning about seminary life or sitting in a theology class, but they were spent learning about each other. For three days my class of 26 men gathered together to listen to each other’s stories. Each of us had to share with the larger group our life story: where were you born? what is your family like? why do you think you are called to priesthood? what were you doing before you came here?
At first, I though to myself: what is this? I didn’t come here to be part of some large seminarian anonymous group where we all had to go around a share our story with others. Well, by the second day, I was completely taken by what we were doing. I was mesmerized by the stories that my classmates were sharing with us. Most amazing were the varied backgrounds of these men who would be my classmates for the next five years until ordination.
One of my classmates worked as a bartender. Another one was a school teacher. One had worked in Hollywood as a set designer. Another was studying law. One had been married for awhile, divorced and was selling cars as a part-time job. One poor soul had worked for the IRS. Another man who became one of my closest friends while in the seminary was playing guitar in a small night club. One guy was actually attending Brigham Young University on a soccer scholarship. One had worked on his parents’ dairy.
After listening to these stories over a period of three days, I felt a bond with many of my classmates but, most importantly, we were all left with the distinct feeling that God had called very ordinary people to minister in the Church. In fact, some of us joked that we were so ordinary that the church must be desperate for priests.
If we take a good look at the three readings that are given to us today, we find that God does, indeed, call ordinary people to ministry in one form or another.
In the first reading, the call comes to Isaiah. Isaiah was from a priestly and, probably, distinguished family in Israel. Yet, when he has his vision of the Lord’s heavenly court, he realizes just how ordinary and sinful he is. He says, “Woe as me, for I am a sinful person!” But God makes it clear that he is choosing Isaiah to become a prophet to the people. He purifies Isaiah from his sinfulness and then says, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah responds, “Here I am, Lord. Send me!” Isaiah becomes one the greatest prophets of Israel.
In the Gospel, Jesus demonstrates God’s seeming preference for choosing ordinary people to minister. As he is walking along the shore of the lake, he sees fishermen getting into their boats and cleaning their nets. He gets into the boat owned by Simon Peter and, after assisting them in a miraculous catch of fish, Peter falls to his knees and says, “Depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man.” But Jesus assures him, “From now on you will be fishing for men and women.” At the same time, Jesus calls Peter’s brother, Andrew; two other brothers who were fishing, James and John. He also called a tax collector and other ordinary men who would have been pretty indistinguishable from the rest of the population. It does not appear to me that Jesus selected any person of high social standing or from the well-educated or successful business types that were also present in his day and age. Jesus called people who most of us would probably hesitate in giving a job to. That’s how ordinary they were.
And in the second reading, Paul recounts how he was called. He tells us that he was the least of the apostles— one called abnormally, he says— because he was a persecutor of Christians and a very unlikely candidate for joining the community of believers. Yet, the Risen Lord appeared to Paul and called him into service. Later, Paul acknowledges that he is weak and didn’t make a very compelling appearance to others. Even so, he was called and admits that, “by the grace of God, I am what I am.”
It is true that God calls ordinary people. Just look around you at who is in the Church. Some of you probably look at me and say, “What an odd man that God should utilize his services.” Don’t feel badly about thinking that. I, too, look around me at all of you and say, “What an odd group of people here at the Newman Center.” Seriously, we all have our foibles, weaknesses, idiosyncracies, secrets and sins. But that is what is so generous and beautiful about our God. God calls ordinary people like you and me to proclaim the Gospel in our lives. And in the process of calling us, God prepares us to do what we are called to do.
And God’s calling comes to us in the midst of our everyday, routine lives. God will call us when we are washing our nets or dishes, as we change diapers or teach children; as we flip burgers or stock shelves. God calls us as we prepare a brief for a trial or examine a patient; as we repair cars or work with computers; as we balance the books or plow the fields. The call of God comes to us in the ordinariness of life. And even though we may be tempted to think that God would never call us to greatness, what can be greater than being called to follow Christ in faith? God calls people to follow Christ wherever people are to be found.
The incarnation means that God took on human flesh and blood, human existence or human experiences. The incarnation means that God uses ordinary people, places and things to reveal the extraordinariness of God. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we will be able to say, “Here I am Lord. Just your ordinary person. Send me!”