In today’s Gospel, it seems that Jesus called ordinary people in the middle of their ordinary lives to be in relationship with Him and with the ordinary people all around them … and amazingly they left what they were doing, followed Him, and did extraordinary things in His name.
Because we know that the Gospel is not only a historical account of what happened, but also a present day message for us, we realize that God is calling each of us into a deeper relationship with him and with each other. We might ask ourselves how can we do this?
Perhaps one very concrete way is to call to mind one person with whom you are in a relationship. Perhaps it’s a relationship that brings you great joy, or sorrow, or frustration, or hope. It really doesn’t matter as long as it’s significant. Perhaps it is a work relationship or perhaps a family member. Once you have that person in mind, take a moment to pray for that person …and to believe that God is using you to make a difference in the life of the person for whom you are praying…and they are making a difference in your life. Ask for the grace to always relate to that person in a loving way. If sometime you have a negative encounter with this person, you can at that moment, ask God for the grace to respond with understanding, compassion, helpfulness and love.
Yes, we are called to follow Jesus and to be fishers of people. We follow Jesus by living as He did…relating to each person by speaking and acting in a kind way. We bring others to Jesus when they see our loving ways. Sometimes we might speak of God with words, but always our actions (our relationships) should demonstrate that love.
Peg Orzel