"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
At once they left their nets and followed him.
This is not a natural response. It is supernatural, aided by grace. The invitation itself has the power to cut through every obstacle within and without to empower the response. The one who invites is the word of God. The response to his invitation is to accept his word and make it our own word. This word becomes our yes to God as it is first the yes of Jesus to the Father. The word of God has power. It is not like RSVPing to a wedding. Any number of things could then come up and prevent our attending. With God's invitation there is literally nothing that can prevent our response except our own will. What God asks of us he gives us the grace to do.
Saint Andrew wants to help show us how to make this response. He wants to show us that it is not only possible but that circumstances need not hinder us whatsoever. We might think that to respond to the call to follow Jesus we have to come gradually be degrees. We might think we gradually untangle ourselves from the world and then follow Jesus. But Andrew leaves all he knows immediately. This moment of enlightenment is then perhaps followed by tethers of the world pulling him back. There is a process is gradual growth for everyone. But the ability to make a clean break with the world comes from the power of the invitation of Jesus. The more clearly we hear this the more completely we can separate ourselves from all that is not of him. Jesus is inviting us today to follow him ever more closely.
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.
Let's speak these words with the complete commitment of Saint Andrew. And then let us re-echo the invitation to anyone who will listen and to pray for those who proclaim the word.
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
The words of the LORD really are more precious than gold, sweeter than syrup, or honey from the comb. Let us make these words are own. Let us make the yes of Jesus to the Father our own. Let us make his invitation to us to say yes to the Father our invitation to the world.
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