Saturday, November 30, 2002
Andrew, Apostle
1st Reading: Rom 10:9-18
Gospel: Mt 4:18-22
As Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him.
He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. At once they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Commentary
What memories of that morning by the lake! Those fishermen felt seduced by the presence of Jesus. What did they see in him so much so that they left everything: nets, family, town. Their lives changed radically. We could assume that after some years, maybe during a difficult moment, they would ask themselves why they were following the steps of Jesus. Then the remembrance of that first moment at the lake's shore would come back to them. It was then when they heard Jesus' words: "Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Even today Jesus is repeating these same words. Why don't we listen to him?