Fr. Jose Cortes

God has a call for everyone. This should not come as a surprise because we are His beloved children and each one of us is special to Him. Behind all this is the assurance that He will never forget us, despite our individual human limitations. The question, however, is whether we listen to Him and are willing to follow His call. This would mean we allow Him to speak to us with an open and receptive mind and heart. And when He calls, there is urgency, as the gospel reading this Sunday says: “Come after me”. There are so many preoccupations crowding our daily life – activities that we give priority to; meetings that eat our time; and even people calling on us, from whom we could hardly disengage ourselves. How are we responding to Jesus saying today: “The Kingdom of God is at hand”?

Andrew and his brother Simon eft their nets because they were fishermen and followed Jesus. So did James and his brother John left their father Zebedee and their hired men in their fishing boat. “I will make you fishers of men”, Jesus told them. In the mind of these first disciples, the words of Jesus must have resonated so convincingly because no questions were asked. There was manifested obedience to Him. What more could be of greater importance than following Jesus? The earthly opportunity of getting a better life as fishermen is surrendered for an “uncertain” future as fishers of men. Could it be that, remembering Jesus’ words regarding the Kingdom of God, this made all the difference? This inspired them to bargain off all their earthly possessions to follow Jesus; to be fishers of men; and to surrender themselves totally to Jesus all their life.