In today’s gospel, Jesus calls the first apostles and says: Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Immediately, they left everything and they followed Jesus. Once again, today we talk about God’s calling. He is calling and wants people ready to leave everything for the sake of the gospel. God needs disciples like you and I to proclaim the good news. Today’s readings is a good meditation for us, believers and followers of Jesus. Our first reading tells us the story about the prophet Jonah. It is beautiful story. To understand the message, I encourage you to read all the chapter. It is not too much, only 2 or 3 pages.
In this story, God sent Jonah to Nineveh to proclaim the good news of repentance. Because Nineveh was a lost City: The seat of immorality , corruption, crimes materialism. It was a City where evil reigned without any hope of change. And you can imagine how difficult to preach God in this kind of situation. However the prophet Jonas went there and proclaimed the message of conversion. And his mission was successful. Because as soon as the” people of Nineveh heard the word of God, they repent, they changed their lives and regain God’s mercy and forgiveness. Even today God seeks men and women to send on the mission to Nineveh. God needs messengers. The question is, where is our Nineveh today?
When you look at our world, you realize that everywhere we can find hopeless cases, scary places, impossible situations, people involve in drugs, alcohol, broken families, war, domestic violence, depressed people, terrorist. It is there where God wants us to bring the Good News. This is our mission. We all have a calling to answer. Some of us are called to become priests, others to married life. Whatever you are, God is calling you. Because the needs to serve the church and the world are many. Jesus calls some to preach, some to be lectors, some to be Eucharistic ministers….. there is a place for everyone in the body of Christ. There is something to do for everyone here. But the question is , what does it impede us to fully involve ourselves to follow Jesus? What does it impede us to go to Nineveh? Are we ready to leave everything for the sake of the gospel?
Notice that the word of God came to us because twelve men left everything, families, job, business in order to preach the good news. Notice that the word of God came to us because the apostles sacrificed their lives. The word of God came to us because of these twelve people. It is amazing grace. We are called to do the same so that others can believe in God. If the apostles could leave everything, we also can by God’s grace. My brothers and sisters, God is not asking us to leave our families, friends or our job, but He is asking us to give up all that impede us to follow Him. He is asking us give away all that impede us to be good disciples. It could be material stuff or attitude. So, God is calling and God is sending us to Nineveh to proclaim the good news. And we know that to be disciples of Jesus or to follow Jesus, is not easy task. But the good news is God is always with us. So, don’t be afraid to leave everything to follow Jesus . Because if God calls you, He will give you all you need to accomplish his mission. Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.
I will be out of the office January 25-28 traveling to the Our Lady of
Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico. Thank you again for all those who
helped to make this trip possible in honor of my 25th Anniversary to
the priesthood.
~Fr. Kalombo
