Isaiah 8:23-9:3-1; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23
“Come follow me . . . ”
One thing is sure: God’s call to discipleship has no age limit. Samuel was called as a young kid to serve the Lord. In today’s gospel, adults and parents were called to follow Christ. The unanimous message to be proclaimed by those called is the proximity of the kingdom of God. Also, some sacrifices are expected of all those called: “abandonment” of one’s job and loved ones, in order to be available for evangelization!
What kind of God asks his followers to “abandon” their families and jobs to follow him? Is God against having a good job and a good family? How do people survive without the aid of a good salary and the presence of loved ones? The God who says “increase and multiply” (Genesis 1:28), “from the sweat of your brow you shall eat (Genesis 3:17),” who gives the law “honour your Father and Mother (Exodus 20:12),” is He likely to ask us to give up working and families for the sake of the gospel?
The fundamental question for you and me today is this: our baptismal, wedding, or ordination vows and promises, what have we done with them? Fundamental to evangelization is the witness and testimony of my life and yours before God’s people! Can I stand up for my faith, even if that means losing my friends and loved ones? Can people say of me, she or he is a true Christian? Mark this: true disciples of Christ – Christians – always meet with oppositions either from friends, families or colleagues, because their lives do not conform to worldly standards but divine: that is the origin of the “abandonment” in today’s gospel! So judge for yourself: what image does your life conjure up for people?