Yesterday we were asked to put a special emphasis on what it means to be called by Christ to live fully. That doesn’t mean what many people think it does, for example, what we sometimes call ‘living it up’ – having a good time while the money lasts, having as much fun as we can. At least what we call fun until the headache kicks in!
What Jesus meant was to live a meaningful Christian life, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our choices in life, being in touch with ourselves through prayer and the sacraments, reaching out to the poor and the disenfranchised, taking each day as a gift rather than a burden to be endured. That was how he himself lived.
Remember the Gospel passages when the first disciples met Jesus? They are so simple, and yet so inspiring. Let’s look at John Chapter 1 v. 29 - -34
The next day, seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said: ”Look, there is the lamb of God.” Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following, and said “What do you want?” They answered “Rabbi” – which means teacher – “ where do you live?” “Come and see”! he replied. So they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day.
So begins the story of the calling of the first two apostles. What did they do? They spent time with Jesus, got to know him a little, loved it and immediately told their friends about it. One of them was called Andrew and we know that he rushed out and told his brother Simon Peter, not in words we might have expected him to use like “We stayed with that preacher called Jesus – you remember him – he comes from Nazareth – and it was great. He really has something!” but simply “we have found the Messiah”. Then he took his big brother to meet Jesus. The rest of the story is history....
See yourself watching that scene – the early morning sun shining down on the sea of Galilee, the fishing nets drying on the shore nearby, the small fishing boats dotted around, John the Baptist pointing out Jesus as he passed and the two disciples following him to where he was living at the time... See Jesus turn and smile at you, including you in that invitation, “Come and see!” You follow him, perhaps a little hesitatingly, and he encourages you, asking you to tell him about yourself. He seems so interested as if you were the only one in the world, not just a number but a person whom he loves and who matters to him. Feel your own eagerness to talk to him and to tell him what you have been doing with your life and what your hopes and dreams are, and see his smile of encouragement. Receive his blessing before you part company, and then realise that he is with you on the way back home, he is with you always even though you can no longer see him.
Ask yourself: “What does Jesus really want me to do with my life?” After all you only have one life, so it is a serious matter how you spend it. Perhaps he wants you to marry and bring up a family – perhaps he wants you to find him in your work, by staying unmarried so that you can witness through your single status to what St. Paul calls “ an undivided attention to the Lord’s affairs.”
Perhaps Jesus is calling you to be a priest or a Sister – that could be as he always calls us in different ways to serve the Church and to build it up in love. Pray earnestly that you find out your particular path and then, when you have an idea of what it might be, follow it up by asking the right people about it, by “coming and seeing” as Jesus put it. It may turn out to be what he wants of you, or it may not. You’ll never know if you ignore it, or try to follow what you want and not what he wants for you. They are two different things!!
Let’s resolve to pray not only for ourselves but for others that the Church may be “one whole Christ loving the Father.” That was Jesus’ dream. It comes at a cost.
Here are the words of The Summons (Will You Come and Follow Me) :
WILL YOU COME AND FOLLOW ME
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known
Will you let my life be grown in you, and you in me?
Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you, and you in me?
Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?
and admit to what I mean in you, and you in me?Will you quell the fear inside, and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found to re-shape the world around
through my sight and touch and sound in you, and you in me?
Lord, your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In your company I’ll go where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you, and you in me!
John Bell and Graham Maule.
God bless each of you. We will remember you in our prayers.
Thank you for the reminder of what is important. Often it is difficult to have the single-mindedness for God, but we can help each other with blogs like this! Thank you. - JC
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