A Dramatic Word

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

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Two Sunday’s ago, I was at a local evening Mass with David and our kids. Everyone was well behaved in our pew. Everything was relatively calm in our family life, too! But the Lord knows how to get my attention: through dramatics.

The second reading, from Isaiah, sounded apocalyptic. It began with a mystical vision. Isaiah saw the Lord on a throne, with angels gathered. The house that he was in started to shake and smoke filled the place. Isaiah’s response was to say, “Woe is me, I am doomed!”

And those, in turn, are the words that I carried with me out of Mass.

It made me grin, every time I thought of it as the week progressed. Firstly, because it’s so over the top. Secondly, because shortly after this declaration from Isaiah, the Lord calls out the words that I’ve heard and sung so many times, “Whom shall I send?” (Isaiah 6:8) Yet I never reflected on Isaiah’s daunted preface until now.

As I wrote this reflection, I found an awesome commentary on this passage of Isaiah. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website explains how “there are two roots from which (doomed) could be derived; one means to perish...” the other “to become silent.” They also reference how such silence is shown to be “an appropriate response to the vision of the Lord in the Temple.” And, according to their commentary, Isaiah likely implied both meanings.

So, God regularly allows me to be aware of Himself via specific words and symbols. And last week was no different. There were times when I felt a volatile exclamation rising up in me: “I’m doomed!” And other times, I felt silent before God in a way that left me clueless about the future and a bit flabbergasted in the moment.

In what turned out to be a particularly shocking week for me, I thought of Isaiah regularly. The Word helped me to accept my own dramatism, and also to sense Jesus laughing at me—in a brotherly way. It felt as though God was reminding me that yes: the feelings are intense. And that even still, there’s an important mission ahead of me.

This pattern is reminiscent of the story of David and Goliath. David was small and frail compared to the massive giant. Maybe when he first learned about the battle, David initially thought, “I’m doomed!” (Even if not, King Saul and his army thought they were doomed!) Ultimately, David accepted the call with trust. And God saw him through.

What’s the “giant” in your life today? Is there something facing you that might tempt you to think that you’re doomed? Maybe your response is one of dismay, of deep silence, or a mixture of both. If so, let’s pray: Lord, you healed Isaiah and called him to a prophetic mission. As you call us, please give us the healing we need in order to proclaim your word. Together, with Isaiah, help us to respond, “Here I am... send me!” Amen.

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