Discernment: Come, Follow Me

In today’s Gospel, Matthew 4: 18-22, we are told the story of Jesus walking along the Sea of Galilee.  He sees two brothers fishing and says to them:  “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men [of people].”  He walks a little further and sees two other brothers and He calls them likewise.  All four men immediately leave their boats, their families and friends and follow Jesus. 

Wow!  How is that for vocation promotion! A simple “Come and follow me,” and immediately Jesus has four men who join Him in His mission to devote all of their life to building up the Kingdom of God, spreading  the good news of our salvation-- the Messiah has come—and growing in intimacy with the Lord, hanging on to His every word. 

Trusting Jesus' invitation, these four men stay with Jesus and learn from Him a new way of living and loving and being: one with the will of the Father, as Jesus was one with His Father’s will, surrendering to the Spirit, who may lead them out into the desert to confront Satan, to the shore of Galilee, or wherever, to share the Good News, or to the cross to die to sin and overcome darkness.  The Spirit is truly their counselor, consoler, and strength builder, as Jesus teaches them by word and example!

It is being one with the will of our God that is the core of any vocation: religious life, marriage, priesthood, the diaconate or the single lifestyle.  To which vocation in life is God calling you? God’s call goes further! To what ministry/job/career is God inviting you to do the good for which you were created and for which God gave you the talent to thrive and do the most good?  To and in what task today does God invite you to be His loving Presence, His compassionate understanding, or His reconciling Voice?

"Follow Me," says the Lord

Discerning God’s Call: Today is the feast of St. Matthew, an apostle and an evangelist and also a former tax collector.  Jesus  passes by Matthew’s custom post, notices Matthew and says to him: “Follow me.”  Jesus passes by your “custom post” as well. Notices you and says “Follow Me.”

Why do you think Matthew heard Jesus? Why do you think Matthew left his custom post, stopped collecting taxes—a lucrative business for him—and followed the Lord, who had nowhere to lay His head, who was becoming the disdain of the Pharisees and leaders of the time, whose life would eventually be on the line, so to speak.  Following Jesus was going to lead to Calvary, though that was not as yet revealed by Jesus.  As He drew the twelve apostles—Matthew would become one of those men—closer and closer to Himself, Jesus would reveal this information to them.  What was it about Jesus, then, that attracted Matthew and other disciples?  Why did Matthew, once he met Jesus, never leave Him? Why, even after the crucifixion and death of Jesus, did Matthew stay with the apostles during those dark days before the resurrection of Jesus?

Will you follow Jesus and stay with Him, even n the darkest of hours? Why or why not?  Jesus notices you, as He noticed Matthew at his custom post, and says “Follow Me?” Will you leave that activity which, like collecting taxes and exploiting others, as Matthew was doing prior to his conversion,  is not what Jesus asks of you?  Will you risk following Jesus when the Pharisees of our day taunt you? Will you cling to the Lord, sit at His feet and be taught what it means to build up the Kingdom of God?

Religious Life or any Vocation: A Following of Jesus

Religious Life or any Vocation is a following of Jesus, who, as He reminds us in today’s Gospel, Mt. 8: 18-22, “has nowhere to rest his head.”  Following Jesus means hanging loose, so to speak, not seeking a place to “rest our head.”  How often do we, like the disciple in today’s reading, say to the Spirit, either in word or action:  “[L]et me go first and bury my father,” or do this or that. In other words, when the Spirit nudges us, we are likely to say: “Not now, Jesus. I got to finish what I am doing. Or, first, Lord, I got to run this errand or that errand.”   Or, “I’m too tired right now, Lord. I need to rest first my head.” And, what happens, you really do not follow the Spirit’s lead at all.  The son or daughter who wanted you to play with him or her is abandoned. Your wife or husband who wanted you to share your day and listen to what happened for him or her that day is ignored as you take time first to do whatever.

Many times, Jesus says: "'Follow me,' and let go of your plan right now!"

Discernment: "Teacher, what good must I do..." (Mt. 19:16)

In today’s Gospel, Mt 19: 16-22, the rich young man, who faithfully obeyed all of the commandments, approaches Jesus, wanting to know what more he has to do to gain eternal life. He is engaged in a form of discernment. The first part of discernment is knowing that something is missing. He doesn’t know how to get rid of that nagging feeling that leaves him with a sense of emptiness, of not doing enough. So he goes to Jesus and says: “Teacher, what good must I do...?” Jesus responds with His own question: “Why do you ask me about the good?” There is only One who is good….” What a statement to a rich young man who perceives himself as a very good man, as one who has kept all of the commandments, has made a good life for himself, has rightfully gained a lot of wealth. He is doing well, very well. He can be truly proud of himself so why this restlessness and why does Jesus say “only One…is good”? The rich young man is in a very good place spiritually in that he recognizes that something is missing and has made the right move by approaching the Lord. He’s gone to the right person. Jesus recognizes that there is something here that is laudable and upon which another kind of wealth can be realized, that of selling everything, detaching oneself from what is one’s own, and following Jesus unreservedly. No matter to which vocation in life God calls you—religious life, priesthood, marriage, the single life—you, too are called to follow Jesus unreservedly. To what might you be attached that blocks that giving of your all to the Lord and following His way as a religious, a married person, a single person, a priest?