Welcome back to Ordinary Time! In the first reading today we begin the first Book of Samuel. Today we read about a broken-hearted woman, Hannah. She was barren and wanted desperately to have a child. If you’re married, you’ll probably laugh when you read what her husband said to her. (Hint: he’s a typical male.)
In the Gospel reading today from Mark 1, we read about the call of the first disciples – Simon and his brother Andrew and James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus says to Simon and Andrew, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Notice that Jesus said “fishers of men” and not “catchers of men.”
Fishing is a great activity/sport/hobby/pastime. The thing about it is you’re never guaranteed to catch anything. That’s why it’s such an appropriate thing to say when talking about evangelization efforts. There’s no guarantee our efforts will be successful. Like fishing, it can sometimes be frustrating. I’ve spent many a day on the lake coming up empty. But we still have to “fish.” Leave the catching up to God.
Father, give us diligence in our “fishing” (evangelization). May we always be fishers of men. Amen.
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