Last night, the evening before the primary elections, I watched a program on TV where a reporter interviewed passers-by on the street. He asked their opinions about issues of the day, which candidates they supported, where they stood on Iraq, unemployment, and the economy. Many of those interviewed said they had no opinion, they didn't watch the news, and they didn't vote, because their opinions didn't matter much anyway.

It's easy to judge such people harshly, but I realized that I entertain those same concerns. The world is a big place, consumed with really big problems, problems beyond our power to correct. None of us, even all of us together, could give everyone a job, or feed all the hungry people, or house the homeless. What chance do we have against the drug problem, or the forces of greed and addiction that energize it?  The difference between the size of the problems and the size of ourselves seems so overwhelming.

But then -- take a look at the Prophet Isaiah. Like us, he lived in very troubled times. His nation was divided, with the northern half carried away into captivity, and the southern half ravaged by war. Surrounded by that seemingly hopeless circumstance, Isaiah made his way to the temple, where he saw a vision of the majesty and holiness of God. At first, it overwhelmed him, and he cried: ‘Woe is me, I am a sinner.” But then God called him to service, and Isaiah answered, “Here I am, send me.”  Read More