Follow Him

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 12 2008

By Beth DeCristofaro

In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways… he spoke to us through the Son,
whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe (Hebrews 1: 1,2)

The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. Let all his angels worship him. Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods. (Psalm 97: 8, 9)

…he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him. (Mark 1:20)

Piety

Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, I praise today. I thank you for your laws, Lord, as I struggle to humble myself in them and thus find you. I thank you for your justice, Lord, as I know my own judgment is subjective and imperfect. I thank you for your mercy, Lord, for in you I have life. Be with me this day, Lord, within my heart to act in you and within my eyes that I might see you in all.

Study

My mom, not long ago, laughingly told me of a time when, as a college student home on break, I got a call from friends inviting me to hang out and I left immediately. But I left my parents with a mess in the kitchen because I had been preparing dinner that evening. Not only did my mom have to finish the unfamiliar recipe but she and dad got to clean up. Was I self-centered or what?

Getting up and going somewhere usually takes some planning. We put things to right and look ahead. We clear it with our significant others. When I imagine Jesus walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee inviting these men, in the middle of their work day, to come along, I am amazed and apprehensive. Do these men really know what they are getting into? Do they have any realization that there is no turning back to the comfortable role and routine they have always known? Do they think about who they are leaving and what kind of a fix they might be putting their loved ones in?

Actually, I imagine that all of those answers would be “no”. Jesus asked them and asks us to follow him into an unclear and potentially unsafe future. He formed a community with the disciples, with God at its core. Today he still wants us to be in community with him and others he loves, with God at our core. He wants us to walk with him not on our own.

The recent School of Leaders talked about team formation and talk day. We spoke about how the team forms into a community with Jesus at its core. It is a microcosm of Building the Kingdom and an experience which can profoundly deepen our own spiritual life while we serve those whom God calls to Cursillo weekend. Just as we took a risk and attended the weekend we are offered the chance for other risks by being on team or taking on another Cursillo role. In reading the cycle of the Gospels, we can see the disciples say “yes” to Jesus multiple times in our life. What models of trust they can be for us.

Action

How wonderful the many ways God reaches out to love us! Are we taking advantage? Have you mentioned to anyone your interest in being on team? Or have you considered how you and your group reunion can support Cursillo and teams? There is a woman’s team in formation right now and a men’s team will begin formation this month. If you have no group reunion, have you considered joining one or forming one? Have you considered attending SOL even if you don’t consider yourself a “leader”? I wager that Peter, Andrew and John would not have answered to “leader” before they met Jesus either. Have you brought a friend to Christ, inviting her/him on a weekend?

Whatever your answers are, consider those answers carefully and prayerfully. Is Jesus at the center of your answers or are you leaving Jesus to finish dinner and clean the dishes all by himself while you are living with yourself at your own core?