Follow Me!

05-01-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

According to Matthew’s Gospel (Matt4:18-22), when Jesus called His first Apostles, He asked them to “follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. This invitation required them to jettison their prior occupation of fishing in order to embrace, wholeheartedly, the noble vocation of Apostleship. They tried to do this until they were confronted with the trying period of uncertainty between the Lord’s resurrection and His glorious ascension. Simon Peter, the designated Apostolic primus, suggested going back to their old occupation and a good number of the eleven followed him. Like Peter and the other Apostles, our moments of decisive encounter with Jesus required us to give up any lifestyle or culture that does not please God and injure our conscience, in order to follow Jesus. Moments of crisis, transition, spiritual dryness and skepticism often make our hitherto foregone lifestyle attractive. At such moments, we should pay attention to the voice of the resurrected Jesus who gently calls us back to right relationship with God and our neighbor.

John’s Gospel tells us that Peter and his “co-deserters” caught no fish that night until Jesus appeared on the shore and directed them to cast their nets “over the right side of the boat.” They did, and they caught 153 large fish. If we apply a habitual “do it by myself” attitude without involving God in all our endeavors, we are bound to live life unsuccessfully, unfaithfully and without internal satisfaction and fulfillment. However, as soon as we generously and willingly submit our wills and intellects to Jesus, and willfully choose to live and act in accordance with His promptings, we are certain to be surprised by what God is willing to do through our frail hands.

After they had breakfast, Jesus extracted from Simon Peter a recommitment to right relationship three times, corresponding with his three times denial of His Lord during His travails. Can you imagine what could have happened if Simon Peter had followed the path of Judas Iscariot to take his own life in sorrow after he realized his infidelity to Christ? God is always willing to reconcile us to Himself and to restore to us privileges lost when we sinned against Him. However, we need to believe in God’s mercy and constantly hope for a better relationship with our God who is full of mercy. Suicide, obstinacy, despair and the reluctance or even refusal to forgive ourselves for confessed sins are all sins against hope; a decision to remain in the land of exile rather than return in hope to our Prodigal Father. Jesus restored to Peter the mandate to teach, govern and strengthen the assembly of believers after this encounter and directed him again to “follow me”.

May we be aided by grace to love Jesus above all things, love that leads us irrevocably into new life with Him. May we always live and act at the promptings of the Holy Spirit and may we seek sincere reconciliation with God and others if we make mistakes that injure right relationship.

Please be kind and may God bless you.

Fr. Manasseh

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