Isaiah 6:5-8

“And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’” vs. 5

Isaiah had caught a glimpse of God’s holiness, and became deeply aware of his own sin and inadequacy. And not only that, his eyes were opened to the fallen condition of his own people. Whatever he’d been trying to keep hidden had suddenly been exposed by the purity and the radiance of the Divine Mystery, and he had no alternative but confession. That’s what the Light of God does–every indiscretion and all secret sins, all those nasty sites we’ve visited on the Internet–all are revealed in the presence of holiness. Now those moments don’t come to all–some people remain oblivious for a lifetime, never acknowledging the sin that clings so closely. But when they do come, we are not left in despair. Like Isaiah, we are surprised by grace–forgiveness comes to us, maybe not through a flaming coal in the tongs of a seraph, but through words of absolution or a morsel of bread and a little taste of wine. In those moments lips and hearts are cleansed, guilt is wiped away and we realize God has plans even for wretches like us. And with grateful hearts, like Isaiah we respond, “Here I am, Lord. Send me!”

Thought for the Day: What exposes the darkness of my heart?