Dear friends,  
 
In this week's Gospel, we hear Matthew's version of Jesus' call to Peter, Andrew, James and John to leave their work as fishermen and to follow him to become fishers of men. We are told they do this immediately, dropping everything, and moving on with Jesus. It is interesting that Jesus does not require them to forget the trade they have been practicing until now. What Jesus seems to be asking them is to do is to bring those skills along and to apply them to a new purpose. From now on, they will be gathering people into God's Kingdom as they gathered fish into their nets. From its beginning, the Church used the symbolism of boats on the sea and fishing to represent itself and its mission. Venturing into uncharted and sometimes treacherous waters with an unknown yield or destination requires courage and commitment. Jesus recognized this potential in these men whom he asked to follow him. They would become his faithful disciples on his earthly mission of bringing people to the light of God's salvation.

We are called to follow Jesus as faithful disciples for that same mission. Jesus asks us to use our own particular gifts to bring the light of Christ to others. Jesus asks us for faithful commitment to service to others as he and his first disciples ministered throughout Galilee, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, teaching and curing what ailed the people. It was a ministry of presence, of going where the crying needs of the world called them. It is the same for us. Our baptismal promises state our mission, and we respond by bringing the skills and gifts we already have to situations that demand our attention and compassion. 

There are lots of ways to proclaim the Gospel. One of the most powerful is action. What we do, how we do it and the behaviors and attitudes we exhibit send powerful messages about our beliefs and values. Example is one of the most effective teachers. Andrew, Peter, James and John provide us with a model of discipleship we can adopt in following Jesus in our lives: Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, when Jesus calls to us, making us aware of a need or an opportunity for service or witness to the Gospel, we carry the light of Christ into that situation, bearing witness to Jesus by our presence, by what we say or do to the fact that in him the kingdom and salvation of God have come near. This is an awesome vocation. It carries risk and responsibility. But it is at the same time a rich source of joy, because in following Jesus this way and living in relationship with him, the kingdom comes near to us.

Stephanie