The call. Called from… Called to.

Listening to the Spirit

You came, Lord, into our night
to turn our ways towards the dawn;
your way, however, remains hidden,
only the Spirit uncovers for us your passage.

To lead us to light you took up a body
in the human shadow into which you come.
Many would want to see and understand:
will they recognize your light?
We say to them: "See the grain that dies;
no eye sees it, but our hearts can divine
in the shared bread his presence."

Then we carry to you, like a cry,
the hope of today's men and women;
ripen the time, hurry the day,
and may it rise on earth, Your kingdom.

Amen.

Listening to the Word

Matthew 4:12-23

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.

Reflection

If we had the power to save humanity, where, with whom and how would we begin? This Sunday liturgy gives us the way that the only one able to bring us salvation did. It’s a matter of honesty from our side, as human beings, to admit that maybe the method Jesus took might not be our first choice. The manifestation of the salvific plan started with a call, call from and call to.

The first words of Jesus in today’s gospel is a call to repentance then the call to follow Him. The words of the Master call us to reform our lives as disciples. The trouble is, most of the time we want the kingdom but not reforming.

The disciples on the shore were doing their work. A usual business in a very ordinary place. Forgotten place, far from the center, the Holy city. They were there dealing with nets and fish. From there Jesus called them. This image helps us to see how the word of Jesus attracted them and how they made a clear choice with regard to these words and person without many discussions. Discussions are easy, but decisions to take courage and strength aren’t. Our life is shaped not by discussions but by our decisions.

They left the nets and followed Him. This is the good news for us all. To have courage to leave things behind and follow Him. Discipleship is not something we take upon ourselves. We are called to it.

Here is the door for us to realize that sometimes we want to make great progress in our spiritual life but we don’t want to give up the nets that trap us hold us back. There seems to be a misconception about being called and leaving everything behind. On the other hand, we can grasp that following Jesus is not only a matter of leaving family, country, jobs, etc.

Disciples of Jesus are called to leave behind certain ways of living as they follow him and that is far more difficult. They are called away from lives of pettiness and division that threaten the unity of the community. They are called away from absolutizing their interpretation of the gospel message. It is in fact much easier to leave one's nets than to leave the web of one's prejudices. This is the darkness out of which disciples are called. They are called to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of heaven in all circumstances of everyday life. They are called to heal diseases and illnesses of mind, body and spirit. They are called to work for unity and peace even in the midst of diversity and misunderstanding, or better, precisely in the midst of diversity and misunderstanding. Disciples of Jesus are called to be light in a world of darkness and gloom.

In this Sunday of the Word of God, when we read these transforming words of Jesus in the life of the first disciples, we too have the opportunity to listen to Him again, to listen to His call. Call from darkness to light. Call to leave behind the nets that obstacles us to be true disciples.