The Gospel According to Matthew 4:18-22
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.
Reflection: Saint Andrew was the brother of Saint Peter and a disciple of John the Baptist. He was known to have preached north of the Black Sea and in Greece and died bound to an X-shaped cross, at Papas, Greece. He is also the patron of not only of Russia but also of Scotland as “Protoclete” or First Called” patron of the Greek Church and patron of the fishing industry. Which only makes sense, as that was ‘who’ he was when Jesus called him to “Follow me”.
I have always been amazed at how quickly each Apostle responded to Jesus when he said those words, ‘Follow me”. Was it His mere presence that convinced them to leave everything behind or was that the Holy Spirit that made it so easy to say “Yes”? it was decades for me to give Jesus an answer to His calling. Can you hear His voice calling you to help gather His sheep?
In today’s world that is so full of hate, it is up to each of us to turn this world around. To love and accept each other as ‘we are’ rather than to fight and hurt another living being, who is unique and that was created ‘from love’ by a ‘loving’ God. Don’t you agree? Have you heard Jesus’ voice calling you? Haven’t we all had enough of the death of innocent lives, and destruction? I have!
Action of the Day: As we begin our preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God is remembered, we are led to look forward to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight. How will you celebrate?
Audio Reflection:
