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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.” Matthew 4:18–19
Today, we honor one of the Apostles: Saint Andrew. Andrew and his
brother Peter were fishermen who would soon take on a new form of
fishing. They would soon become “fishers of men,” as Jesus
said. But prior to being sent on this mission by our Lord, they had
to become His followers. And this happened as our Lord was first
the fisher of these men.
Notice that in this Gospel, Jesus was simply walking by and “saw”
these two brothers working hard at their occupation. First, Jesus
“saw” them, and then He called them. This gaze of our Lord is worth
pondering.
Imagine the profound truth that our Lord is continually gazing at
you with divine love, looking for the moment that you turn your
attention to Him. His gaze is perpetual and deep. His gaze is one
that yearns for you to follow Him, to abandon all else so as to
hear His gentle invitation not only to follow Him, but to then go
forth and invite others on the journey of faith.
As we begin this Advent season, we must allow the call of Andrew
and Peter to also become our own calling. We must allow ourselves
to notice Jesus as He looks at us, sees who we are, is aware of
everything about us, and then speaks a word of invitation. He says
to you, “Come after me…” This is an invitation that must
permeate every aspect of your life. To “come after” Jesus is to
leave all else behind and to make the act of following our Lord the
single purpose of your life.
Sadly, many people pay little attention to this calling in their
lives. Few people hear Him speak and fewer respond, and even fewer
respond with complete abandonment of their lives. The beginning of
Advent is an opportunity to evaluate your responsiveness to the
call of our Lord once again.
Reflect, today, upon Jesus speaking these words to you. First,
ponder the question of whether you have said “Yes” to Him with all
the powers of your soul. Second, reflect upon those whom our Lord
wants you to invite on the journey. To whom is Jesus sending you to
invite? Who, in your life, is open to His call? Who does Jesus want
to draw to Himself through you? Imitate these Apostles as they said
“Yes” to our Lord, even though they did not immediately understand
all that this would entail. Say “Yes” today and be ready and
willing to do whatever comes next on this glorious journey of
faith.
My dear Lord, I do say “Yes” to You this day. I hear You calling
me, and I choose to respond with the utmost generosity and
abandonment to Your holy and perfect will. Give me the courage and
wisdom I need to hold nothing back from You and Your divine calling
in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured image above: St Andrew By Artus Wolffort, via Wikimedia
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