Article by Phoenix Editor Maya Tadross ’19:
On Friday afternoon, I asked my parents if we could attend 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday evening instead of our usual time of 10 a.m. on Sunday. I had left most of an English research paper, an entire scholarship essay and this newspaper article to the final weekend before their due dates. By going to Mass earlier in the weekend, I was hoping to have all of Sunday to finish my papers. Instead of relaxing and watching TV Friday night as I had wished to do, my procrastination led me to sit down to carefully plan – and stressfully anticipate – my work-filled weekend.
After a long yet mostly successful day of finishing my scholarship essay and making progress on my English paper, my dad shouted upstairs that it was time to leave for Mass. I quickly got ready and scrambled downstairs, where my dad handed me his car keys. Sighing, I accepted them, knowing I needed to practice. Going to mass was supposed to be the low-stress part of my day, yet I had to do one of the most anxiety-provoking tasks to get there: drive. Thankfully, my dad and I arrived in the parking lot of St. Anne’s Parish in Garden City unscathed.
We walked into the familiar building, and I struggled to keep up with my dad’s pace as we discovered empty seats in the seventh pew from the front. Finally sitting without any work to do, I found myself restless and unable to focus, thinking about all I had to do the next day until we were instructed to turn to page 311 in the songbook and stand.
At the altar stood an unfamiliar priest, Father Johnny Mendoca, whom I later learned was recently placed in residence at St. Anne’s. Fortunately, the presence of a new priest allowed me to pay attention to the celebration better than I usually did. At last my favorite part of the mass came: the readings and the homily. I was especially excited to hear a message by Fr. Johnny for the first time.
“We must allow the Grace of God into our lives,” Fr. Johnny enthusiastically began, raising his arms high above his head. Another generic homily, part of me immediately thought. However, another part of me heard the passion in his voice and wanted to give his homily a chance.
“Imagine if, after Mass, a stranger got into your car and told you where to go,” he continued, piquing my interest. “This is exactly what Jesus, the poor son of a carpenter, did to Simon Peter by getting into his boat and telling him to cast his nets into the deep.”
Reflecting further on the Gospel, Fr. Johnny drew an analogy between Simon Peter allowing Jesus into his boat, yielding an enormous catch of fish, and us letting God into our lives today. I had never heard such a comparison before; Fr. Johnny had my full attention.
“After the prophet Isaiah saw God on his high and lofty throne, he was afraid, for he was a sinner,” Fr. Johnny began explaining. “Simon Peter was afraid too once he realized who Jesus was, and he begged for forgiveness.”
Ultimately Fr. Johnny compared the two readings, making apparent that in both there was an experience of God, followed by the asking for forgiveness and finally a mission. Once Isaiah’s lips were cleansed by the angel, God asked him, “Whom shall I send?” To which Isiah responded, “Send me.” Similarly, Jesus told Simon Peter and the other apostles that they were to become “fishers of men.”
Fr. Johnny concluded that we are called to allow God’s grace into our lives the same way Isaiah and Simon Peter did. First and most importantly we must trust God, then we offer a confession of our sins and finally we follow the mission he gives us. This message was so simple yet so incredibly helpful, for it answered my big question of how to let God’s grace into my life, by trusting him, especially in the most uncertain, stressful situations.
The final half of the Mass, I felt more relaxed and able to participate in prayer as I tried to trust that God would help me finish my work the next day by His grace. After Holy Communion, I thanked Him for the gift of Fr. Johnny’s homily when I most needed it.