Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee, i.e., the Sea of Tiberias, and he sees two brothers – Simon, whom they call Peter, and his brother Andrew, who are lowering nets into the sea. He immediately urged them to give up fishing, saying he would make them fishers of men. They immediately obey and follow Him. A little further on, he sees Jacob and John Zebedee, together with their father, mending the nets. He calls them the same. And they, too, leave their father and the ship and go with Him.
After the devil tempted Jesus in the desert, he heard about the imprisonment of John, so he went to Galilee. During one trip by the sea, he meets and calls two couples – Simon Peter and Andrew and Jakub and John. He does it quite authoritatively, which deviates from the customs of the time, in which students freely choose their teacher themselves. The way all four responded to Jesus’ calls is noteworthy: without hesitation, removal from home, or farewell to friends, they left their jobs and went with Jesus. This approach to addressing Jesus is an excellent example for us, brother/sister. Just as the brothers met Jesus at work, we also meet Him daily. And not only at work, but He also calls us to follow Him.
Unlike the brothers of today’s Gospel, however, we do not have to leave our work and security. Jesus also calls us in our daily duties, in various situations, and the people around us. Let’s ask ourselves, each of us, whether we live our everyday ordinary life so that our heart is attuned to Jesus, listening to His addresses and calls. Can we perceive His voice and calls due to our inner setting? Do we look at the surrounding situations with a heart beating for Christ? Without this, it is difficult to correctly identify and translate Jesus’ various signals into our activities. Are we not closed in on ourselves, adapted to the outside world, set to its values and preferences? Do we know if we have the strength and motivation to leave our inner comfort and orientation to this world and follow Jesus?
Today‘s Gospel is, therefore, an excellent opportunity to look back on the past days of this week and ask each of us whether I perceived Jesus in the people and situations I met during the individual days. And is there anything even at this moment that I could leave and follow Jesus? Do I want and know how to sacrifice something to Him even now? And will I still like it tomorrow?
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