This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations. The entire chapter is included to provide context.
Information about the meaning the original Hebrew or Greek of what seem to be key words is provided in blue. They are provided beneath the specific reading they relate to.
Links to collections of other scriptures addressing principles similar to those set out in these readings are provided after each reading.
Excerpts collected in yellow at the end of this post tell us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him.
Excerpts collected in green at the end of this post tell us about something God wants us to do.
Excerpts collected in red at the end of this post tell us about something God does not want us to do.
Reading I: Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8
In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above.
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They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke.
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.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
filled = מְלֹא= mᵊlō' Blue Letter Bible fulness, that which fills; mass, multitude; that which fills, entire contents; all that is
glory = כָּבוֹד= kāḇôḏ Blue Letter Bible glory, honour, glorious, abundance; weight, but only figuratively in a good sense; heaviness; splendor or copiousness; dignity of position; reputation, of character; majesty
wickedness = עָוֹן= ʿāôn Blue Letter Bibleperversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt; consequence of or punishment for iniquity
removed = סוּר= sûr Blue Letter Bible to turn aside, depart; to be removed; to come to an end; depose; retract, abolish; to be taken away; to turn off; eschew;pluck away, put away; made to depart, thrust away; cause to turn aside, depart
forgiven = כָּפַר= kāp̄ar Blue Letter Bible to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation; pacify, propitiate; cancel; reconcile; cleanse; annul; forgive; be merciful; pacify; pardon; put away; wipe clean the face; perfect; free from charge; obliterated
heard = שָׁמַע= šāmaʿBlue Letter Bible listen to, obey; perceive by ear;to hear with attention or interest, listen to; give heed; to consent, agree; yield to;to obey, be obedient; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.); to hear and answer
send = שָׁלַח= šālaḥ Blue Letter Bible (1)stretch out; extend, direct;to shoot forth (of branches); reach forth; sow, spread, stretch forth; (2)to send, send away;to let loose; to send off or away or out or forth, dismiss, give over, cast out or away; to let go, set free; to be sent off, be put away, be divorced, be impelled; forsake, give (up);eave, let depart; drive cattle to pasture
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Analyses of other scriptures considering how God calls people to what He created them for are linked at What we can learn about God's calls from Jesus calling His first disciples--collected
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8
R. (1c) In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth;
and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD: “Great is the glory of the LORD.”
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Your right hand saves me. The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
praises= זָמַר= zāmar Blue Letter Bible to sing, sing praise, make music; to play a musical instrument; to touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument, i.e. play upon it; to make music, accompanied by the voice; hence to celebrate in song and music; to dance; to pluck, prune
give thanks = יָדָה = yāḏâ Blue Letter Bible to throw, shoot, cast; laud, praise; to profess, confess;to use (i.e. hold out) the hand; to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively, to bemoan (by wringing the hands);(make) confess(-ion); praise, celebrate
worship = שָׁחָה= šāḥâ Blue Letter Bible to bow down; to depress; prostrate oneself; fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship; bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.; sink down; honor God with prayers; to submit oneself
kindness = חֶסֶד= ḥeseḏ Blue Letter Biblegoodness, kindness, faithfulness; favour, good deed(-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy; kindness (especially as extended to the lowly, needy and miserable), mercy; lovely appearance; of God: kindness, lovingkindness in condescending to the needs of his creatures; redemption from enemies and troubles;in preservation of life from death; in quickening of spiritual life; in redemption from sin; in keeping the covenants; fidelity; abundant, plenteous in kindness (goodness); greatness of thy mercy; everlasting; plural mercies, deeds of kindness, the historic displays of lovingkindness; desire, ardor; zeal; benignity, benevolence, pity, mercy; grace
truth = אֱמֶת= 'ĕmeṯ Blue Letter Bible firmness, faithfulness, truth; sureness, reliability;stability, continuance; certainty, truth, trustworthiness; perpetuity; fidelity
called = קָרָא= qārā' Blue Letter Bible cry out, proclaim; utter a loud sound; cry (for help); to summon, invite, call for; to call out to; address by name; call unto; invite; celebrate
strength = עֹז=ʿōzBlue Letter Bible might, strength; boldness; firmness; defense, refuge, protection; splendor, majesty
save = יָשַׁע= yāšaʿ Blue Letter Bible to be liberated, be saved, be delivered; to save from moral troubles; to give victory to; to be open, wide or free, i.e. (by implication) to be safe; to free or succor; defend, help, preserve, rescue;be capacious, make wide, spacious, make sufficient, be or live in abundance; placed in freedom; give width and breadth to, liberate; save, from evils and troubles; to be opulent; to set free, preserve
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, Christ appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. 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. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me. Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
received = παραλαμβάνω = paralambanō Blue Letter Bible to take to, to take with one's self, to join to one's self;to accept or acknowledge one to be such as he professes to be; to receive something transmitted; to receive with the mind; associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation; take (unto, with); Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon receive from another; take upon oneself, undertake; admit, employ; receive by lesson, hearing or report, ascertain; take to oneself, associate with oneself; get control of
stand = ἵστημι = histēmi Blue Letter Bible abide, abode; to stand, to make to stand;suggestive of fidelity and stability; establish; set;to make firm, fix; cause a person or a thing to keep his or its place; be kept intact;to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything;to be of a steadfast mind; continue; stanch; ratify, confirm; immutable, firm;to persist, continue, persevere; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon make to stand; make to stand, set up, raise; set, place; establish, institute; take up an intellectual attitude; to be set up, erected, or built
hold fast = κατέχω = katechō Blue Letter Bible to hold firmly, down; possess; restrain; stay;to hold back, detain, retain;keep secure, keep firm possession of;seize on; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon hold fast; hold back, withhold; restrain, bridle; gain possession of, be master of; possess, occupy; dwell in; master, understand; follow close upon, press hard
believed = πιστεύω = pisteuō Blue Letter Bible to be persuaded of, and hence, to place confidence in, to trust, signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence; to entrust, commit to; to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in; the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul; credit; to have a faith directed unto, believing or in faith to give oneself up to; to commit oneself trustfully; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon trust, put faith in, rely on; comply; feel confident that a thing is
grace = χάρις = charis Blue Letter Bible beneficial, beneficent; that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness; good will, loving-kindness, favour; liberality; kindness which bestows upon one what he has not deserved; favors even upon the ill-deserving; merciful kindness; aid or succor; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon kindness, goodwill, for or towards one; partiality, favour; boon; Richard Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament that property in a thing which causes it to give joy; the favour and grace and goodness of man to man, to setting forth the favour, grace and goodness of God to man, and thus, of necessity, of the worthy to the unworthy, of the holy to the sinful; it is conferred freely, with no expectation of return, and finding its only motive in the bounty and free-heartedness of the giver
Alleluia: Matthew 4:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come = δεῦτε = deute Blue Letter Bible come hither, come here, come; interjection, come!, come now!; come after me; come now; an imperative; Georg Autenrieth, A Homeric Dictionary adv. of exhortation, come on; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon come hither!
Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
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, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
pressing in = ἐπίκειμαι = epikeimai Blue Letter Bible to press upon, to be urgent; impose; pressure; to be placed on, to lie on; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon press upon, be urgent in entreaty; to be laid upon
listening = ἀκούω = akouō Blue Letter Bible harkin to; to attend to, consider what is or has been said; to understand, perceive the sense of what is said; to give eartoa teaching or a teacher; to comprehend; to perceive anyone's voice; to yield to, hear and obey; have regard to; to perceive the distinct words of a voice; to yield obedience to the voice; to perceive in the soul; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon hearken, give ear; listen to; obey; hear and understand
asked = ἐρωτάω = erōtaō Blue Letter Bible to beseech; to make request; pray; to request, entreat, beg, beseech; suggests that the petitioner is on a footing of equality or familiarity with the person whom he requests
taught = διδάσκω = didaskō Blue Letter Bible to hold discourse with others in order to instruct them; to impart instruction;Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon instruct a person, or teach a thing; explain, show by argument; prove
said = λέγω = legō Blue Letter Bible to say, to ask; commanding, or bidding; to call, to call by name; pronouncing, telling or relating; to gather, reckon, account; to tell; affirm over, maintain; to exhort, advise, to command, direct; to call by name, to call, name; to "lay" forth; to asseverate, affirm, aver, maintain; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon to say, speak; declare; to tell one to do; to speak to the point or purpose; to speak (emphatically)
command = ῥῆμα = rhema Blue Letter Bible sound produced by the voice and having definite meaning; a declaration of one's mind made in words; the word by which something is commanded, directed, enjoined (among other meanings); instruction; command, commission; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon that which is said or spoken, word, saying
astonishment = θάμβος = thambos Blue Letter Bible amazement, wonder; frequently associated with terror as well as astonishment; to render immovable; to dumbfound; stupefaction; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon amazement; terrors; object of wonder; Georg Autenrieth, A Homeric Dictionary wonder, astonishment
seized = περιέχω = periechō Blue Letter Bible to have round, to encompass, enclose, contain; to surround; to take possession of, to seize; to hold all around; clasp; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon encompass, embrace, surround; envelope; comprise; overcome, surpass, excel, gain the victory or advantage; hold fast by, cling to, cleave to
afraid = φοβέω = phobeō Blue Letter Bible Be afraid; to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away); to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm; to fear (i.e. hesitate) to do something (for fear of harm); to be alarmed; to fear one, be afraid of one; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon put to flight;terrify, alarm; to frighten; to be seized with fear, be affrighted; fear to do, be afraid of doing
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Analyses of other scriptures considering how God calls people to what He created them for are linked at What we can learn about God's calls from Jesus calling His first disciples--collected
What these readings tell us about God/His ways
the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne
the train of his garment filling the temple
Seraphim were stationed above
Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!
the King, the LORD of hosts!
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
you have heard the words of my mouth
your kindness
your truth
you have made great above all things your name
your promise
When I called, you answered me
you built up strength within me.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD... they shall sing of the ways of the LORD: “Great is the glory of the LORD”
Your right hand saves me
The LORD will complete what he has done for me
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures
he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me
Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.
he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
What these readings tell us to do:
heard the voice of the Lord
“Here I am,” I said; “send me”
sing your praises
give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart
sing your praise
worship
give thanks
sing your praises
I called
sing your praises
give thanks to you
sing of the ways of the LORD
sing your praises
sing your praises
received
stand
hold fast
believed
Come after me
pressing in on Jesus
listening to the word of God
Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets
Do not be afraid
What these readings tell us not to do:
unclean lips
