How do the holiness and love of God inspire both awe and action in you? 

Simon Peter’s encounter with Jesus mirrors Isaiah’s experience. After witnessing the miraculous catch of fish, Peter falls at Jesus’ feet, acknowledging his sinfulness: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” But Jesus, embodying the grace of God, reassures him: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” Peter, along with James and John, leaves everything to follow Jesus.

There is a parallel between Peter’s call and that of Isaiah 6:1-8. Someone once said, “God does not call the qualified, but qualifies those that he calls.” This gives us the encouragement that, although I(we) am(are) an ordinary, flawed individual, God can use us to do extraordinary missions. Like Peter, we are not called because of our worthiness but because of God’s transformative grace.

Both Isaiah’s purification and Peter’s commissioning show how God liberates his people from sin and fear, calling us into a new life of purpose and joy. These readings remind us that God’s glory, forgiveness, and grace are not distant ideals but transformative realities. Will we, like Isaiah, say “Here am I; send me,” or like Peter and Paul, leave behind what holds us back and wholeheartedly follow Christ?

How does God’s grace free you to respond to his call? In what ways can you, like Peter, become a “fisher of people” in your daily life? How do the holiness and love of God inspire both awe and action in you?

Prayer: Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.