Dear Parishioners,
In this week’s Gospel, we read about how Jesus chose His first apostles. When Jesus chose these twelve men, He must have been thinking of many things. First, He had to choose good people whom He knew would be capable of carrying out their mission, a mission which He knew would be quite demanding. He may also have considered the life that the apostles were leaving behind. Some may have been quite comfortable being fishermen. It was really the only life they had ever known. Jesus probably took that into consideration. Some may have been searching for something more, and perhaps some were scared to try something new. But Jesus knows our hearts — we know Jesus will only ask us to do what He knows we can do, and Jesus’s plan for us is perfect.
So Jesus chose His twelve, and He asked them to simply drop their nets and follow Him. Did the apostles realize who was calling them to leave the sea? Something made them drop their nets and follow the voice that was beckoning them. Matthew’s Gospel says the apostles “immediately” dropped their nets. They said yes immediately and from that day forward, their lives were changed. Jesus transformed His first disciples from fishermen to “fishers of men”— called to spread the news that Jesus was their Savior.
The apostles’ obedience reflects true trust — trust in a man calling them to do things they never thought they could do. We saw this same trusting obedience in Mary’s yes and Joseph’s commitment. For Mary, Joseph and the apostles, trusting obedience was the first step toward being one with their Messiah. We all hear this same call each time Jesus puts an opportunity in front of us to help a fellow human being in need or do something that takes more courage then we think we have.
It’s a brand new year which means a new chance to listen to the call of Jesus with the same obedience as Mary, Joseph and the apostles.
Sincerely in Christ,
Father Lito