Part of the first reading today from Isaiah is one that we see during Christmas. And in the second reading from 1 Corinthians 1, St. Paul makes a plea for unity among the believers.
In the Gospel reading today fromMatthew 4, we read about the call of the first disciples. Simon and Andrew were brothers, both of them fishermen. Jesus walks up to them and says, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The Scripture tells us, “At once they left their nets and followed him.” One of the neat things about Scripture is that sometimes we don’t get any kind of back story. Did Simon and Andrew already know Jesus? Or was this the first contact they had had with him? Whatever the case, we see no hesitation in the two. They dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus.
“Fishers of men” is a very apt description of what we must become as Christians, wouldn’t you say? When fishing, there is never any guarantee that you’re going to catch something. And Jesus knew that this would be the same for his disciples. He didn’t say that He would make them “catchers of men.” They would simply throw out the bait: salvation, forgiveness of sins, eternal life. (That’s some pretty attractive bait, no?) Some would bite, others would simply swim away. Just like it is for you and me today. Happy fishing!!
Father, we thank you for calling us to be fishers of men. Give the patience and persistence that all good fishermen need. Amen.
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