“Come, Follow Me”
Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR
Holy Names of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church
Memphis, Tennessee
Homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
January 23, 2011
Matthew 4: 18-19 says “As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (women).”
In John 8: 12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
The Greek story tells us of the first encounter between Socrates and Xenophon. The story says that Socrates met Xenophon in a narrow path and asked if he knew where he can purchase some material things, and if he knew where those material things were made. Xenophon answered in the affirmative. Then Socrates asked again, “Do you know where men are made good and virtuous?” “No” answered the young Xenophon. Socrates then said to him again, “Then, follow me and learn.”
Like Socrates, Jesus too called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, the Zebedee brothers- James and John to follow him. These men were fishermen who usually spend long hours in the sea looking for fish. Today, Jesus changed all that. The Lord changed their occupation and also their destiny. Some times our occupation in life determines our destiny. Sometimes God changes our occupation in order to change our destiny. These men that Jesus called today became, not fishermen or “fishers” of fish but fishers of men and women. Henceforth, they never spent long hours in the sea, they spent long hours in the Lord’s vineyard. They spent long hours in the field of work looking for men and women to save.
Today’s gospel (from Matthew 4: 12-23) says that Jesus was walking by the lakeside; and as he walked he called Peter and Andrew, James and John. Now do not think that this is the first time Jesus had seen them or the first time they had seen Jesus. From the Gospel of John we learned that some of them were already disciples of John the Baptist. These brothers may have already talked with Jesus, and had already listened to him preach. But today, the Lord demanded that they leave everything behind and follow him. The master demanded that they become his disciples, his servants. And as soon as they were called, they left everything; they left whatever they were doing and followed the one who called them. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were casting a net into the sea when Jesus called them. The gospel said, “At once they left their nets and followed him.” James and John were in the boat with their father mending their nets when Jesus called them, “and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.” They did not give excuses. They did not say “Master, we are busy now with our careers, we will follow you later.” They did not say “Jesus, we are already tired. We will go home rest, eat, refresh and then come to you.” On hearing the command, “Come, follow me,” they left everything and followed the Lord.
Dearest beloved, the same expression “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men and women” is also addressed to us. The call of Jesus is both universal and personal. Some of us may be saying in our minds, “But we have already come to the Lord, we have already followed him. Is that not the reason why we are in Church?” Some of us may be assuring ourselves now that we have already come to Jesus, that we are already his disciples, that today’s gospel is actually meant for those who are yet to follow him. But following the Lord is an everyday thing. It must be an every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every month, every year experience. If we have answered that call, then we should not look backward. Jesus says in Luke 9: 62 “Anyone who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God St. Paul
The Lord has called us to follow him. The Lord’s invitation is the invitation to follow him, and also the invitation to bring others to follow him, “Come, I will make you fishers of men and women.” Salvation is a personal thing; it’s also a universal phenomenon. If you have been saved, bring others to the Lord. If you have tasted the Lord and found that he is good, bring others too to come and taste him. If the joy of the Lord is your strength, bring others to him to also experience his power. If you have seen the light, bring others to experience the light as well. Heaven is so large to contain every one of us. Being fishers of men and women is not exclusively reserved to bishops, priests, religious, deacons etc. It is a universal call that deserves a universal response. The call to come is a call to be a disciple. The Master Jesus has called us to become his disciples. The call in today’s Gospel to leave the boat and fishing is a call to make room for God every day, to build up God’s kingdom instead of building up our own kingdom. When we do that then the prophecy in our first reading is fulfilled, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; and upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone.” When we leave the boat and the fishing every day to make room for God, to build up his kingdom in whatever way we do it, then those who live in darkness will see a great light, and those who live in the land of gloom will experience the light of Christ.
Dearest beloved, deciding to follow the Lord should not scare us. We should not be frightened by what will happen to us if we decide to wear the shoes of witnessing. We should not be scared of the change of lifestyle and the change of philosophy needed to follow the Lord faithfully. Do not be frightened by the thought of making some mistakes. Do not heed to the voice of the Devil telling you that you cannot make it, that you are prone to fall and disappoint the Lord. The disciples that Jesus called today were not immune to failure and disappointment. In the gospel of Matthew 26: 69-75, Peter denied his Master thrice. In the gospel of John 20:24, Apostle Thomas doubted the resurrection of the Lord: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” In the gospel of John 14:5, Thomas again did not understand where his Master’s house is: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” In the same gospel of John 14, verse 8, Philip failed to understand who Jesus’ Father is: “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” In Matthew 19:13, some of the apostles of Jesus rebuked the little children that were brought to Jesus. They were either jealous that the children were getting all the attention from Jesus or they were over-exercising their powers in protecting their Master. In the gospel of Luke 22:24, there was a dispute among the disciples of Jesus as to which of them was considered the greatest. In Luke 22:45, the disciples of Jesus were not able to stay awake and keep watch with Jesus at Gethsemane . In the gospel of Mark chapters 14 and 15 Jesus was abandoned by virtually all his disciples shortly after his arrest; and during his trail before the Council and Pilate he was all alone. All those who called him “Master,” “Lord,” “Rabbi” were no where to be found. In the Gospel of Mark 15: 42-46, the man who came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus was not one of his 12 disciples; the man who brought down the lifeless body of Jesus from the cross is not Peter or James. The man who wrapped his body with a linen cloth and laid him in the tomb is not Andrew or John. In fact, none of them was even present. They all disappeared in fear. Mark 15: 47 says, “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus were watching and saw where the body of Jesus was placed.” None of the Twelve was present. No wonder it was Mary Magdalene who saw the Resurrected Jesus first. No wonder she was the first to visit the tomb. Of course she knew where he was buried.
From all these references, we can see that the disciples were not always perfect in all their dealings. They had some pitfalls and shortcomings. But their abiding and unyielding faith in Jesus was unquestionable. Their devotion and commitment to their Master and his mission came first in their lives. Some of them later shed their blood for their faith in him. That should be our attitude too. Do not worry about making a mistake; do not be discouraged by your weaknesses. Psalm 138: 8 says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose and plans for you and me.” Philippians 1: 6 says, “…he who started the good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Though Peter denied Jesus thrice but he ended up as the first pope, the first leader of the church, the man Jesus handed the keys of heaven. Instead of getting scared, think of what the Lord can do for you, with you and in you. Think of his grace that is helping us. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Lord assures us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Beloved in Christ, our Lord called ordinary men to follow him. Following the Lord requires ordinariness, it requires being ordinary and simple. And following Jesus is an ordinary thing too. It is not an esoteric thing. Following Jesus means leaving everything behind in the fourth position and letting the Lord’s agenda comes first, second and third in our lives. I want to assure you that by following the Lord faithfully and everyday, you do not loose anything, instead you gain everything. Walking in the footsteps of the Master makes you a master as well. You become a master of yourself, your emotions and your passions. Walking in the shoes of the Master insures your life here and hereafter. Remember John 14:1-3!
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