At Once They Left Their Nets

Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.  Romans 10:9-10

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  At once they left their nets and followed him.  Matthew 4:19-20

Piety

As we close out this liturgical year, grant us a spirit of trust.  Trust in you to call on us to be your arms and legs and fishers in this world.  Trust to hear what you call on us to do.  Trust to avoid distractions.  Trust to respond at once.  May the sunrise of tomorrow, bring us a new day in a life lived for you each moment of each day the year.   

Study

“At once they left their nets.”

Simon.  Andrew.  James.  John.  All four had the same reaction to their Savior.  No hesitation.  No discernment.  No probationary period or plebe year. 

“At once they left their nets.”

Jesus also had no hesitation.  He did not require a long application.  No standardized testing.  No medical exam.  No blood tests.  He simply called.  And those who heard simply answered, “Yes” as they voted with their feet to follow. 

“At once they left their nets.”

There is precious little we do without undergoing research and evaluation.  If we are hiring for a job, we screen candidates, do background checks, conduct interviews, check references, and then narrow down the field to the chosen candidate.

“At once they left their nets.”

Not Jesus.  And certainly not the Apostles.  They set aside the rational behaviors and went on faith.  Look what happens when Peter tries to inject rational judgment.  On Good Friday, after the crowds turn on Jesus, he goes into denial to escape the same immediate fate.  Perhaps he figures that maintaining a psychic distance will help him save his hide.

Fortunately, at the outset, he does not want to create any distance between himself and the Lord.  The career as a follower will not be fruitful if he rejects the Lord.  What are a bunch of fish when you can be a fisher of souls?

Action

With what are you occupied and preoccupied?  Are you still tending your nets and collecting the taxes of this world?

Perhaps you are still providing hospitality to visiting guests after Thanksgiving.  Perhaps you have begun jousting with the crowds shopping for gold, frankincense and myrrh at the Mall.  Perhaps you have never gotten a break from working in a service industry like restaurants, retail or services that are in demand. 

What can you leave behind in order to follow Him who calls?