Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men

Magdala mosaic depicting the call of Simon (Peter) & Andrew

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).  Jesus calls Simon (Peter) and Andrew to a life of discipleship: a life with challenges, a life with uncertainties, a life of simplicity marked by a profound trust in the Lord.  Yet Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed Jesus.  Imagine the encounter.  What would have to happen for you to leave your livelihood behind?  There must have been something so powerful and captivating about Jesus.  That is, meeting Jesus –  having that encounter with Him – was unlike any encounter Simon and Andrew had ever experienced before.  Though they did not know who Jesus was, they did know that something was different about Him; they knew from their heart that they had to follow him.  That was the power of God’s grace working in their lives, and that is the grace that works in our lives.  Jesus takes the initiative: He comes to us, first, and then calls us to something greater.

Peter's House

Today, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit Capernaum in the region of Galilee.  While touring the town, we visited a Catholic Church that marked the site of Peter’s house.  Upon entering the Church, walking towards the center, and then peering down through a see-through floor, we saw the remnants of Peter’s dwelling space.  Later, our guide explained that Peter, who was a fisherman, owned a boat.  But this fact might easily escape our attention.  Often, we think of a fisherman as someone from the “working-class.”  And though a fisherman may not be poor, he probably wouldn’t be extremely wealthy either.  However, our guide shared with us that trees were very scarce in Capernaum during Jesus’s time – and it still is even now.  (The trees that exist today were planted there.)  Therefore, the wood needed to construct a boat would have had to be imported.  This meant that it was a very expensive endeavor.  Peter, then, was certainly a wealthy fisherman, and when he cast down his nets to follow Jesus, he was truly leaving everything behind.  Peter was neither just taking on a better offer, nor did he have nothing to lose.  On the contrary, he had everything to lose.  Peter’s response to the Lord was a true sacrifice.  This realization moved me as I prayed about Peter’s encounter with Jesus. 

Mount of Beatitudes

Tomorrow, my brothers and I will begin our canonical retreat in preparation for our ordination to the Diaconate.  Like Peter, we, too, will be called to lay down our nets and follow Jesus.  We will be called to take on challenges and uncertainties, and to live a life marked by service, simplicity, and a profound trust in the Lord.  But this is not just our call.  It is a call that we, as Church (the People of God), share together.  It is a call that comes from having encountered the Risen Lord.  Jesus is with us in the Holy Land, and He certainly is with you wherever you are.

First Century Fishing Boat

God is calling each one of us to something greater.  And so, let us continue to pray for one another, especially at the Eucharist.  It is there, at the table of the Lord, that we will hear him say: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”