How will you respond when Jesus calls you today?

 Reading: As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:18-19.

Good morning, happy Tuesday, and many blessings my dear family.

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus calls his first disciples.  These men were brothers: Simon, who also was called Peter, and his brother, Andrew.  Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee when he first saw the brothers.  They were casting their fishing net into the sea.  Fishing was their profession and their livelihood.  Jesus said to them: “Come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of (women and) men.”  Immediately, the brothers put down their nets and followed Jesus.  

Today’s scripture tells us the story of how a call from the Lord changed the direction of the lives of the first disciples, who leave everything and follow him. Can you recall events or occasions when you changed direction? For example, falling in love, being guided by a teacher or friend, a hurt or loss, great or small? These calls come to us throughout our lives, and they can have a great effect on us. How we respond is what makes up our lives. We are the product of our decisions, and we have a friend in the Lord who wishes to guide us. It is a gift for each of us to follow the Lord in our own calling.

As they walked along, Jesus saw two other brothers, James, and John.  They also were out in their boat with their father, Zebedee.  They were occupied mending their nets.  Jesus likewise called to James and John, and they also immediately rowed to shore, left their boat, their nets, and their father and followed Jesus.  I wonder if James and John had a conversation with their father about their decision to follow Jesus?  (I assume their father had James and John to help him make a living for the family.)  Or did they simply row back to shore, say farewell to him, and go on their way?  

This scene offers us a paradigm of the way Jesus calls each of us. Note that the initiative is entirely his. As we read in Mark 3:13: "He called to him those whom he wanted". Jesus wants you and me to follow him, not just as companions but as sharers in his mission. "I will make you fish for people". Christian spirituality is not simply about 'Jesus and me', but about 'Jesus, me, and those to whom he sends me'. Each of us is a fisher: a witness, a prophet, an evangelizer, a healer, a communicator of the good news.

How will you respond when Jesus calls you today?  What’s more, He will call us. Will we be too preoccupied to hear his call?  And if we do hear his call, will we follow Him or will we make excuses?  Or will we joyfully drop everything and follow Jesus?

Blessings,

Luis+