In today’s gospel, Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James & John and tells them, “Follow me”, but what does that mean today? It means standing up for the sacredness of life, the Gospel of Jesus, is the Gospel of life. It means trying to build bridges among people who can easily divide into warring factions and cliques. It means speaking up for the truth about the role of money, power & position in human life , and its capacity to distort life. It means guarding the importance of spiritual life in a world that would define our life by consumption or material possessions alone. It means standing for the truth in a world driven by hype, image & spin.
To follow Jesus is much more than dressing like Jesus, growing a beard, quoting Jesus, visiting the places where Jesus was. It is being Jesus to the people and culture around us. This personal moment when Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James & John says a great deal to us and about us. Reflecting on this can have a powerful effect on our spiritual life.
It tells us that through our baptism, Jesus has a call and a personal mission for each of us. It means that we need to leave behind our “nets”, the things and attitudes that burden, entangle & may compromise our mission. It means that we follow Jesus, not only by preserving but also by taking his message and his Gospel to the people around us,. Our spiritual life is not only for ourselves, but also for others. Christ has called each one of us for a reason larger than ourselves.