At Once They Left Their Nets

At Once They Left Their Nets

November 30, 2012

Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle

By Melanie Rigney

There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:12-13)

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. (John 6:63)

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 after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-20)

Piety

Lord, help me to follow You the way Andrew and Peter did, obediently and with hearts full of faith.

Study

Nine simple words, only one of them with more than one syllable. And yet, they are so powerful in their simplicity and their example:

At once they left their nets and followed him.

Volumes have been written about Peter, the rock on whom Christ founded our Church, the apostle so aggravatingly like us before Pentecost… and whose faith thereafter we strive to emulate.

About his brother Andrew, we know far less. The Gospel of John says Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. He’s mentioned a couple of other times in that Gospel, and we believe Andrew preached in what is now Greece and Turkey before he was martyred.

But maybe we don’t need to know a whole lot more about him than those nine words from Matthew:

At once they left their nets and followed him.

Andrew and Peter didn’t say they’d follow Christ after they spoke with their families. They didn’t say they’d follow him after they finished the day’s catch. They didn’t ask Jesus what he meant by that statement about becoming fishers of men. They followed “at once,” leaving their nets behind. They understood in their souls long before they understood in their minds what Jesus wanted for them. They were brave enough to trust.

Action

Is there something God’s asked you to do that you’re putting off? Pray for the guidance and strength to stop saying, “Not yet.” Leave that net of safety or whatever… and follow him.

Called To The Wedding Feast

Called To The Wedding Feast

November 29, 2012

Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

"With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down, and will never be found again.  No melodies of harpists and musicians, flutists and trumpeters, will ever be heard in you again.  No craftsmen in any trade will ever be found in you again.  No sound of the millstone will ever be heard in you again.  No light from a lamp will ever be seen in you again.  No voices of bride and groom will ever be heard in you again.  Because your merchants were the great ones of the world, all nations were led astray by your magic potion."  Revelation 18:21b-23

"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.  People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."  Luke 21:25-28

Piety

Jesus of Nazareth cordially invites you to a dinner to be held in his honor on Sunday and everyday at the church of your choice. Come as you are. 

Study

With these end of time readings, we have to be careful not to take the poetry of Revelation too literally.  We might be tempted to mistake a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy or other earthquakes and tsunamis for the end of the world.  We might be tempted to mistake the uprisings in the Middle East for the past two years (twenty years, two hundred years, two thousand years) as signs that the armies are circling Jerusalem.

We may be teetering on a fiscal cliff, a political abyss, an entertainment morass, or a social septic tank.  But these issues may not be any worse than we experienced ten years ago or during the second World War or the Depression. 

We have lived through dark times before and survived.  The assassination of President Kennedy and Rev. Martin Luther King.  The War in Viet Nam and the protests.  The death of Dorothy Day on this date in 1980.  The stock market crashes of 1987 and 2008.  The Challenger explosion.  Many of us will never forget where we were when we heard and lived through some of these or other traumatic stories.

But as these events swirl around us, the readings today show us that we have a choice.  We can succumb to the temptations and attractions of the world or we can answer the invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb. 

Perhaps the words of Joshua come to mind to remind us of the path we are asked to walk:  "If it is displeasing to you to serve the LORD, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Action

What magic potion is leading us astray?  More precisely, what variety of magic potions are all working their spells on our lives to draw us away from the wedding feast?

Do the bells of St. Mary's pull you in?  Or are you being wooed by the "siren song" of holiday advertising, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and the 26 shopping days left to Christmas?

Do the news heads pull you into the endless cycle of cable/radio/newspaper/internet news -- basically covering the same stories over and over and over and over again?  You could put down that remote and read a book instead. 

Are you tempted by the sights and sounds and smells of the local restaurant and bar scene?  No need to put off the diet resolution until the New Year.  You can vow to be sensible with food and drink throughout the holidays. 

Is your elixir called workaholism?  Maybe this coming Advent season is a time to Be. Still. And. Know. That. I. Am. God.

Hated But Not Destroyed

November 28, 2012

Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

By Colleen O'Sullivan

Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire.  On the sea of glass were standing those who had won the victory over the beast and its image and the number that signified its name.  They were holding God’s harps, and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.  (Rev. 15:2-3a)

Jesus said to the crowd:  “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.  It will lead to your giving testimony.  Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.  You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death.  You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.  By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”  (Luke 21:12-19) 

Piety

Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.  What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything.  It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.  Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.  (Falling in Love, attributed to Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J.)

Study

Admittedly I don’t spend a lot of time pondering this, but whenever I have considered for what or for whom I would give my life, I always end up with the same answer – loved ones.  And as Fr. Arrupe points out in “Falling in Love,” isn’t God our first and primary Loved One? 

Most of us will probably not die martyrs’ deaths.  But Jesus is right that if we follow him, someone somewhere along the line is going to persecute us because of his name.  Many in the world (and the number seems to grow daily) don’t believe in God.  Some of these non-believers are merely apathetic, but others seem to find God a threat.  Personally, I see that as a testimony to the power of God; otherwise, why all the fuss and bother?  I imagine most of these people worship one or more of the gods of our culture – wealth, greed, pleasure, power – and find a God who turns those values upside down at least a nuisance, and at worst an enemy to their way of life.

There’s always someone who would like to chip away at our faith and knock God off his pedestal.  It might be our friends wanting us to make weekend plans that don’t include time for worship.  When I’ve been in that situation and have brought up the fact that I am going to go to church on Sunday, I’ve been told that that’s what they don’t like about Catholics.  They “have to go to church on Sunday.”  I don’t look at it as something I have to do as much as something I want to do.  So, putting God first might cost you a friendship or two.

I had one family member get bent out of shape several years ago because I wouldn’t agree to observe Good Friday on a different day so as not to interfere with their plans to have guests for dinner and serve a roast.  In spite of the ranting and raving, I didn’t give in.  Putting your faith and religious practices first might cause family discord. 

Sometimes persecution is far more serious and deadly.  Throughout the centuries there have been many Christian martyrs.  The people playing harps and singing the Lord’s praises in our first reading from the Book of Revelation were most likely men and women who refused to worship the Roman emperor.  The cost of faithfulness might be your very life.  The fact that in heaven they are singing God’s praises illustrates Jesus’ promise that though we may be hated in this world, not even a hair on our heads will be harmed.  Our willingness to die small deaths on a daily basis or to give our lives in death for the Lord, is what secures our lives in an eternal sense.  And isn’t that what our journey with Christ is all about, dying with him that we might live with him?  (Romans 6:8)

Action

For what or for whom would you be willing to die?  When have you felt attacked or persecuted for your faith?  Did Jesus give you the words or strength to resist your opponent?

When you have time today, pray for forgiveness for the times you have been weak and acquiesced in the face of pressure to worship other gods.  Ask God for the strength to persevere along the journey.

The Lord Rules with Justice

November 27, 2012

Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

By Beth DeCristofaro

(An angel) "Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come,
because the earth's harvest is fully ripe."  So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.  (Revelations 14:15-16)

Before the LORD, for he comes; for he comes to rule the earth.  He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy.  (Psalm 96:13)

(Jesus said) When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky." (Luke 21:9-11)

Piety

10) Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for 12 hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life.

(from the Decalogue of Blessed Pope John XXIII) )

Study

Recently we saw the movie “Argo” and the footage from those years of the hostage-taking brought back very emotional memories for me.  Then watching “Lincoln” I was moved not by memories but as I realized that the bleakness of slave existence was once accepted as God-given. 

Humans have wreaked havoc upon one another to such depths that the awesome justice which the Psalmist speaks of, full of God’s mercy, is almost beyond our comprehension.  In Revelation, the imagery is fierce and swift.  God’s love for us is too. 

Action

Fear not, Jesus tells us.  What do I fear?  In what way can I emulate the justice and constancy that God offers to me?  Can I choose to do so instead of acting out of my fear?