As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.Can you imagine what it would take to have you drop everything, your work, your livelihood, even leave your family…, everything you knew to follow a stranger? That Jesus must have been a charismatic and convincing man. I do not know if I would be able to drop everything. I want to think I could, but if I am being honest, I just don’t know.
This world, as painful and stressful as it is, still puts a really strong hold on us. At the end of the day, you still need to eat, and to feed and shelter your family. Wouldn’t following Jesus be abandoning your family and responsibilities? With the exception of Peter, most of the apostles were unmarried, and of an age that they were not putting their parents in a precarious situation. Even still, it is an amazing thing that they dropped everything and followed Him.
So what is this passage saying to us today? I think that it means that we need to put Jesus first in our lives. The hierarchy of our relationships should be God, Spouse, Children, and then everyone else. If God is not first, then none of the rest is possible. You must reconcile your relationship with God before you can figure out any of your other relationships. God is the ultimate source of all love and trust, and goodness, and if you do not have a healthy relationship with that source, how can you truly know any of those things with anyone else.
So we start by following Jesus, become friends with him, and as a result, you will find that you will attract many others to you, and without even noticing…, you will indeed become a fisher of men.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh lord, help me today to speak your truth, and to draw more souls to you.