God's Call: "Whom Shall I Send"?

In today's first reading, Isaiah 6: 1-2a, 3-9, Isaiah shares a vision he was given of "the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the  temple. Seraphim were stationed above. they cried out one to the other, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hours! All the earth is filled with his glory!'"  Isaiah tells us that at the sound of the angels praising the Lord, the  "frame of the door shook and rage  house was filled with smoke."  Isaiah is fearful that he is doomed, for, he says: I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yearly eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" An  angel flew to him and touched his lips with an ember, saying: "See, now that this has touched your lips,  your wickedness is removed, your sin purged."  A voice then says ask Isaiah: "'Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?' 'Here I am,' Isaiah said, 'send me!'"

That Scripture passage is about us. We may not, with out naked eyes, see the Lord of hosts, but we do with eyes of faith.  We know by faith that God is a holy God and we are men and women inclined to sin. Our lips are unclean when we engage in acts of selfishness, greed and, yes, sometimes wickedness against one another!  Yes, too, to the fact that we have been purged of our wickedness, our sins, by the Blood of Jesus poured out for us on the cross and given to us in Holy Communion and in our repentance of our sins on a daily basis when we acknowledge our sinfulness in prayer, in regular  confession and at every liturgy!  Like with Isaiah, we, too, hear God's voice, asking "Whom shall I send? wobble will for us [the Blessed Trinity]? In word and deed, how do we answer?

Wearying God

In today's first reading, Os 7: 10-14; 8:10, the Lord asks Ahaz to request a sign from God. He refuses.  Isaiah confronts Israel and says, in effect, "Isn't it bad enough that you weary each other? Must you also weary your God?" 

How easy for us human beings to weary God! God asks us, through the prophet Micah, for instance, to love tenderly, act justly and do good (cf Micah 6:8).  Through Jesus, just prior to His Ascension, we are asked to go out to the whole world and proclaim the good news.  In doing God's will, Jesus assures us that if we ask anything in His name, He will give it to us. 

Do I truly believe Jesus? do I ask for the help I need to love tenderly, act justly and do good?  Do I believe that Jesus will truly send me the Holy Spirit so that I will be empowered to "preach" the Good News by how I live life as modeled by Jesus in the Gospels?