Come Follow ME
Jonah 3:1-5,10; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
Here, very early on in the Gospel of Mark, we have the call of the first Apostles. Mark gets down to business fast. Here, in only the sixteenth verse of his Gospel, we find Jesus calling Simon and his brother Andrew, and then, having gone on a little further along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he calls the sons of Zebedee, James and John.
Short though these four verses may be, we find in them an extraordinary amount of detail. In fact there are four important features which are paradigms for all the other call and conversion stories in the New Testament. But they’re not restricted to the pages of the Bible, for they’re also the characteristics of our own story of call and conversion as well.
The first feature is that it is Jesus who takes the initiative. He is the one who does the calling. The initiative comes from God and at a time and place of his choosing. He takes us where we’re at. It might be fishing, it might be while praying. It might be at the office, at home, at school, or at church. It might come at the sea shore or on a mountaintop. Whenever, wherever, or however it comes, it is an action of pure grace in our life and it doesn’t depend on anything we do.
The second feature is that Jesus doesn’t normally choose people from the elite; he tends to choose from among ordinary people. He sees what is hidden, what he feels he can use for the benefit of the building up of his kingdom. He doesn’t necessarily chose the qualified, because he, himself, is the one that qualifies. All that is required is trust and an openness to learn, to change, to grow.
The third point to notice is that the Apostles are invited to share in the life and work of Jesus. They go where he goes; they do what he does; they say the things he says. They learn by example, by doing, by living with him.
And the fourth point is that Christ’s call is quite explicit. He says simply but clearly: “Follow me”. There is none of the eloquence that would later characterize his teaching, His words are straightforward and direct. There is no ambiguity, yet at the same time, nothing is made clear. Things will gradually evolve and become clearer as time goes on.
It’s interesting to note that Jesus called them to ‘Follow ME’. He didn’t say: “I have a theological system which I would like you to investigate; I have certain theories that I would like you to think over; I have an ethical system that I would like to discuss with you. He said ‘Follow ME’.” It is all about relationships – it is about falling in love. As one theologian put it: “In the greatest number of cases a man follows Jesus Christ, not because of anything that Jesus said, but because of everything that Jesus IS.”
And somehow we know that Jesus extends that same invitation to each one of us. But we look for alibis; we sometimes pretend we don’t hear him. We look around and hope it’s someone else he’s talking to. But Jesus is unrelenting. “You!” he says again and again, and eventually we realize it is indeed us, you and me, that he’s calling out to. We’re people who like to consider all the possible options, do research, clarify and analyze what it is precisely that we are being asked to do. We want to carefully weigh up all the facts and possibilities. We have responsibilities, jobs, family. We have been trained to be rational, balanced, well-adjusted, well-informed people and to make such a radical decision requires a lot of consideration. And we conclude, “It’s crazy! Why me?” And God responds, “Why not you?”
When God called a shepherd to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, Moses thought God had it all wrong. Confronting a king and demanding him to free his workforce and then leading a cranky mob of people through the wilderness? That’s just crazy! A farmer by the name of Gideon was called by God to lead an army and save Israel. A farmer to be a general and defeat a powerful enemy? – That’s just plain crazy! Four fishermen were called to leave their nets and follow Jesus. And what those four fishermen did was equally as crazy. Jesus spoke to them – no bright lights, no rolling thunder, no visions or dreams, no angels with gold-tipped wings in bright gowns – Jesus simply said, "Come with me" and they immediately got up, left their nets, and everyone and everything.
What are the nets that you’re asked to leave behind? Feelings of inadequacy? Guilt over past sins? Your schedules - the unnecessary busyness that you cram into your life? A toxic relationship? The immediate but fleeting satisfaction that money and power give? Things you call “obligations” that are really nothing more than your need to control? Stubbornness and close-mindedness? The pressure you put on yourself to do the popular thing to gain acceptance?
"Follow me!" he said to those fishermen. "Follow me!" he says to you and me. Jesus calls us to a life of conviction, to a life of urgency, to a life of reaching out with his message of love and forgiveness to all the people we encounter in life. He calls us to reach out to the lonely, to the hungry, to the sick, to the ones in prison, to the disabled, to the forsaken, to the needy. But most of all, he calls us into a relationship. A relationship with him. What’s stopping you?
I’d like to address the rest of my homily specifically to the Eighth Grade Class from St. Therese School, who are with us today:
You might think that today’s Gospel, the call of the Apostles, and by extension, his call for us to follow, is just for adults. But remember what we talked about in class. Often times, the people that we hear about in the Bible that God called, that God had expectations of, that God gave something significant to accomplish, were teenagers, just like you. Mary was only somewhere between twelve and fourteen years of age when God asked her to be the Mother of the Son of God. And the majority of the Apostles were just a little bit older than you are now. And so, today’s Gospel is also for you! God has called you, empowered you, and blessed you with your talents, with your intelligence, and with your personality, all of which he expects you to use to help build his Kingdom around you.
Today is the beginning of the end of your time as a student of St. Therese School. In exactly 135 days, you will graduate. Today we mark this final stage of your preparation before you move on to Morris Catholic, Pope John XXIII, Seton Hall Prep, Oratory Prep, St. Elizabeth’s Academy, and the public high schools to which you have just been accepted, by bestowing on you your graduation pin. A simple pin. But a powerful symbol of who you are: equipped, empowered and expected to go forth and make a difference by bestowing God’s grace, love and mercy on the world. Each of you has been called to celebrate, initiate, generate and liberate:
- To CELEBRATE who you are as God’s beloved sons and daughters, as well as the bonds of love that, therefore, necessarily unite us all as brothers and sisters.
- To INITIATE, in your own unique style, utilizing your intelligence and talents, ways to touch hearts, heal hurts, right wrongs, and nurture the needy.
- To GENERATE a sense of right and decency in a society that has chosen a path that is often so far astray from the way of Jesus. Remember that, as attractive as it might be, Jesus didn’t say, “Go follow the way of the world.” He said, “Come follow ME!”
- And to LIBERATE minds and hearts and souls through spreading the Good News of the salvation by your words and by your actions.
And so, in this Catholic Schools Week that we begin today, appreciate all that has been given to you in your years here at St. Therese’s, and for some of you, at St. Michael’s. Prayerfully get in touch with the gift that you are . . . the gift you’re called to share. And continue to prepare yourself for the great adventure that God has planned for each of you as his disciple.
