187. Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Meditations no. 70 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
Our vocation: an unmerited gift.
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he said to them, âFollow me, and I will make you fishers of men.â ⌠And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
The Gospel of todayâs Mass recounts how four of the Apostles were called. Jesus had already made the acquaintance of those fishermen from the Sea of Galilee. John and Andrew, disciples of John the Baptist, had spent an afternoon with him beside the River Jordan. And fired up with zeal, John brought his brother James to the Master, and Andrew his brother Peter. So in a very simple way there began a divine and human dialogue that completely changed the life of John and Andrew, Peter and James and so many others. It prepared their hearts to listen to the authoritative teaching which Jesus gave them beside the Sea of Galilee, Their earlier encounters with Christ prepared the ground for the seed of a vocation to take root in their souls. They had found the Messiah, and had been won over by his most holy Humanity.
Look how he seeks out those he wants to follow him: he calls Peter and Andrew as they are casting their nets into the sea. Listen to what he tells them: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. This scene is repeated today. Jesus continues to pass by the seas of the world in search of apostles who will take his word to the ends of the earth. And he has called us, with a call that is personal and specific; a gentle command to follow him, for which we should be constantly thanking God. Our vocation is a hidden treasure that not everyone finds. It is found by those who are truly chosen by our Lord. We have been called by him and, with this calling, he has bestowed on us the greatest of his graces, a proof of his infinite affection. What have we done, you and I, to merit this wonderful sign of his love? Nothing; we have done nothing at all. Our vocation is a great gift from God. He has sought us out; he has taught us this holy way to make our lives fruitful, this way of loving all his people and bringing them peace and joy. Let us thank God for our vocation, a prize we donât deserved.
Christ has sought us out in our work, as he did the Apostles.
If you ask me how to discern Godâs call, our Father wrote, if you ask me how to recognize it, I will tell you that it is a new vision of life. It is as though a light had been lit within us: a mysterious impulse which drives a person to dedicate his noblest energies to something that, in time, becomes a way of life. This vital force is rather like an avalanche; it is what others call vocation.
Christ could have called his Apostles in other situations, but he sought them out precisely in their work. Opus Deiâs spirit hinges upon ordinary work, professional work carried out in the midst of the world. Godâs calling gives us a mission: it invites us to share in the unique task of the Church, to bear witness to Christ before our fellow men and so draw all things toward God.
Our calling discloses to us the meaning of our existence. It means being convinced, through faith, of the reason for our life on earth. Our life, the present, past and future, acquires a new dimension, a depth we did not perceive before. All happenings and events now fall within their true perspective: we understand where God is leading us, and we feel ourselves borne along by this task entrusted to us.
God draws us from the shadows of our ignorance, our groping through history, and, no matter what our occupation in the world, he calls us with a strong voice, as he once called Peter and Andrew: Venite post me, et faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.
All our activities, even the most ordinary ones, take on a co-redemptive value by virtue of our vocation. God gives everything, and he asks for everything. In choosing us as his instruments, he wants to make use of our whole being, our intellect, our will, and all our faculties. And we also bear in mind the words of St Thomas: When God chooses people for some special job, he prepares them and endows them to be able to do it.
Responding generously.
Our vocation is a sign of Godâs special love for us. As such it requires a prompt and generous reply on our part, like that given by the Apostles. Reading these words of our Lord in the Gospel, our Father exclaimed, I have been moved. And I think St Matthew would also have been moved when writing them, because they tell of the promptness, the immediate generosity displayed by four Apostles in following Christ.
Peter and Andrew were at their jobs, as was Matthew in his tax collectorâs booth. Jesus calls them at their place of work, while they are fishing. At illi continuo, relictis retibus, secuti sunt eum; at a momentâs notice, they left their nets and followed him. They followed him immediately, without thinking twice. Matters of love are not to be thought over too much, my children. Otherwise they donât get done. I am sure our parents didnât think too much about whether or not they should get married. Otherwise they would never have got married, and we wouldnât be in the world.
Godâs call is not restricted to a particular period in our life. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, St Paul tells us, and his Love for us is faithful. And so his invitation to come, follow me, is repeated at every moment of our life.
With these few words - venite post me - Christ has asked us for all our love, all our life, all our heart, all our mind. And we must respond by risking everything on one card, the card of love for God. Lord, I love you simply because I want to. I could have given this poor heart of mine to someone else, but I give it entirely to you, while it is still young, burning, noble and clean. I place it at your feet, simply because I want to!
My children, God has inspired the Evangelist to write this Gospel passage so that we consider carefully whether we have followed Jesus in the same way: immediately, straight away, leaving our nets behind⌠And if we havenât, there is still time for us to cut any ties and give ourselves once and for all. We have to leave behind anything that could separate us from God. As soon as we sense something that could hamper our dedication, or cause our self-giving to be less than complete, we leave it behind: continuo (instantly), statim (immediately), relictis retibus et patre (leaving their nets and their father).
You and I should consider whether we have left everything, whether we still need to leave something behind, to make our dedication the same as theirs: giving everything, everything, everything.
We ask the Blessed Virgin, Ancilla Domini, the handmaid of the Lord, to help us ensure that our response to Godâs call is like hers: total, resolute, irrevocable.