Terrified and Fascinated: Isaiah's Vision of the Lord
July 13, 2024 - Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah's awe-inspiring vision of God is one of the most memorable passages of the Bible. It has been turned into songs, featured in poetry, incorporated into liturgy, inspired writers, captured in paintings, and spearheaded discussions on the nature of God's holiness.
It was the year 734 BC. Amos and Hosea were trying to save the northern kingdom of Israel from destruction, but their message of repentance fell on deaf ears. The mighty Assyrian empire was ruling mercilessly over its subjects. At the same time in China, the Zhou dynasty was in power, giving the world writing, money, and chopsticks, as well as China's greatest religious and philosophical minds: Laozi, Confucius, and Sunzi. Amidst these global events, the vision that took place in the Jerusalem temple surpassed all that was happening on the stage of world history.
"I saw the Lord," the prophet says, but what he meant by this statement remains unclear. Consider what the Lord told Moses, nobody can see the Lord's face and remain alive (see Exodus 33:20). The Gospel also proclaims that "no one has ever seen God" (John 1:18). If we combine Isaiah's statement with the vision of God's glory in the Book of Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 1:25-28), we realize that the statement "I saw the Lord" will forever defy explanation.
The vision continues with a description of the Lord's throne and clothing, which would indicate a physical form of God. But again, Jesus in the Gospel states that "God is spirit" (John 4:24), so how could He have any physical form? Mysterious also are His attendants, the Seraphim. Are they angels or winged snakes? Then there is a declaration that God's presence "fills all the earth." Who among us is noticing it?
The Seraphim sang the song that entered into the liturgy of the Catholic Mass known as the "Sanctus." Yet, we have become so used to that song that it does not evoke the awe that made Isaiah cry, "Woe to me, I am ruined!" God's holiness made Isaiah realize his sinfulness and the sinfulness of his people. I have yet to witness such a vivid realization among Catholics. Who among us considers themselves a person of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips (see Isaiah 6:4)?
Theology often describes God with a Latin phrase: "mysterium tremendum et fascinans." On the one hand, an encounter with the Lord terrifies, but on the other hand, He also fascinates and attracts us. Isaiah thought that he was "a dead man walking," but at the same time, he could not take his eyes off the vision. When the Lord spoke, he was ready to respond.
A few centuries after that vision, Greece would give us its philosophy, Rome its law, India Buddhism, and China Taoism. However, none of these compare with the vision of Isaiah that inspires a desire for a real encounter with the Lord that purifies our hearts and transforms our lives. We should be forever grateful to the prophet for sharing with us his personal encounter with God that scared him but also began a whole new chapter in his life.