[ Today's Readings ]
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me,
Jesus knows we have plans. But he has better plans for us. Today he invites us to abandon our nets and to follow him. When we do we will be even more true to ourselves than when we follow our own plans.
and I will make you fishers of men.”
We think we are living out our purpose when we work as fishers. But perhaps it is only a shadow of a deeper purpose he has for us. In some ways we are like Hannah. There is one specific way we think we're called to fulfill our destiny. In her case it is childbearing. But for each of us it is different. Yet we often find ourselves barren. We are quite certain we're supposed to do a thing, to make a contribution, or to build the kingdom in a specific way. But it seems that it just isn't within us to do it. We need to be more concerned with the love of the bridegroom and less concerned with our specific plans.
“Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve?
Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
Whatever God desires from us his love makes possible. On our own we fish all night but catch nothing. If we put Jesus first he tells us where we can find a catch. He shows us that we are not meant to catch fish but men. We have a tendency to want to bring about his will ourselves. But often it is a matter of waiting for his timing. Often it is fulfilled in a manner we don't expect.
But we can be sure of this. Even if we're frustrated right now and don't seem to be fulfilling his purpose for us he still loves us more than we can imagine. If we just welcome his presence and call on our lives, if we hear him when he says "Come after me" and simply come to him, his will in us will not be thwarted. He will bring his good work in us to completion
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
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