Peter makes a sensible request of Jesus: “depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Lk. 5:8). Plenty of times, we can feel too unworthy or embarrassed to even be around someone or look a person in the eye. Jesus does not dispute what Peter says. He does not deny that Peter is a sinful person. But instead of driving Peter away, or even saying to Peter that they can still speak, Jesus puts Peter at the center of the operation.
But what if Jesus had said “Yes, Peter, you’re right. Thanks for your time, I’ll show myself out”? Peter would likely never have been a saint. He would not have the experiences of rejecting Jesus, followed by Jesus’ merciful forgiveness. He would not have been formed into a Christian leader through his exercise of the papacy. He would not have been made steadfast in his leadership through the fraternal correction of Paul. The Lord calls all of us to great vocations. But God does not call us because we are already saints, but because through our vocations, we might become saints.