From today's first reading: "Then I said, 'Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it, and said, 'See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.'
From today's second reading: "For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective."
From today's gospel: "When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, 'Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.' For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him . . . ."
De La Salle (Med. 193.3): "God wills not only that all come to the knowledge of truth but also that all be saved. He cannot truly desire this without providing the means for it and, therefore, without giving children the teachers who will assist them in the fulfillment of his plan. . . Be faithful to this practice, then, so that you can contribute, as far as you are able and as God requires of you, to the salvation of those whom he has entrusted to you."
Isaiah, from the first reading, Paul, in the second reading, and Peter, from the gospel passage, all knew that they were not perfect. Yet God selected them anyway, and they responded as well as they could. When we think about our lessons and classes every week, I am sure that every one of us can think of something that we could have done better, or where we just should have gone in a different direction. But De La Salle reminds us that God wants our students to be saved, and we have been called to be God's means. Nobody expects perfection. "We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable . . . The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts. . . ." (Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate, 11). This week, let us resolve to give our students the best of ourselves, knowing that we can inspire them to salvation by letting them bring forth their own best gifts, and we can learn together how to grow our gifts.
Live, Jesus, in our hearts!