When Jesus called the first disciples, he called them each by name. Knowing they were fishermen, He summoned them to drop their nets and follow Him.
“I will make you fishers of men,” (Mt. 4:19) He told them. And so they did.
In Matthew’s Gospel, we see Simon and Andrew, two of the first 12 Jesus called, literally drop their fishing supplies and join Jesus in His mission to spread the good news.
In much the same way, Jesus calls each one of us today, and He wants us to respond. That may seem like a bit of a stretch given that Simon and Andrew audibly heard and saw the Lord as He called out to them, and then, when they left their nets behind, they walked side by side with Jesus in the flesh. Our call cannot be just like their, can it?
Indeed it can, and, in fact, it is.
Jesus calls each one of us by name at our Baptisms. He invites us to follow Him, and that invitation requires a response on our part.
“Drop your nets and follow me,” Jesus says to each one of us. Each of our responses to that invitation will look a bit different. After all, most of us do not fish for a living, and even if we do, the fishing industry is not what it was 2,000 years ago. Maybe you’re a musician or a seamstress or a good cook or a businessman. Whatever your talent, Christ calls YOU to follow Him, and, just as He called the first disciples, He calls YOU to use those talents to serve Him and build His kingdom.
Many of you reading this are leaders in your parishes, which means that your roles within the parish offer you an incredible opportunity to be great witnesses of true stewardship. You must lead by example. You MUST hear and answer Christ’s call and make stewardship your way of life – giving your time, your talent and your treasure back to Him in gratitude and using it to serve His kingdom.
Chances are you will not see Him walking the streets like the early disciples did, and you probably will not audibly hear Him call out to you, but the reality of that call is still the same.
Spend time in prayer. He speaks to us there. Read the Bible. There, He tells us all about what it means to be a disciple, how we are to respond to the call. Get to know the Lord intimately. I promise that it will change your life. I can tell you from experience, the more you give of yourself in prayer and service, the deeper you will fall in the love with the Lord, and the more you will desire to serve Him. What’s more, I can promise you that the more you serve Him, the happier you will be. After all, we were all created to know, love, and serve the Lord. What more could we ask for than a life that fulfills us?
