Come, Follow Me; Trust Me

In today's Gospel, Matthew 4: 18-22, Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee. He sees two brothers, Andrew and his brother Peter, and calls out to them: "Come after me!"  A little further down the shore Jesus sees two other brothers, James and his brother John. They, too, are called by Jesus and, like Andrew and Peter, immediately leave their fishing business and families and follow Jesus. These four men never look back!  Their lives are changed forever.  We have that same example in Mary, the Mother of Jesus! She says "yes" to the angel Gabriel. Her life, too, is changed forever. Other women, once they heard the words of Jesus, follow Him all the way to the cross.

You and I also have been called to follow Jesus' Way. If we are being true to our call, our lives, too, are being transformed by grace. Walking in the footprints of Jesus is not easy and certainly was not easy for Mary or for any of the apostles or any other men/women who believed in Jesus. As with Jesus and Mary and the apostles and other disciples of the Lord, we, too, are often blindsided by "Herods" and challenged by "Pharisees". At times we have needed to change course along the way, sometimes becoming "refugees" in strange territories--that territory could be in our own family situations.  Nor are we spared sudden storms along the way, as did the apostles when out to sea in the middle of the night, about to drown, they wondered whether Jesus, who was actually sleeping through the storm, cared about the danger they were facing that stormy night.  We learn throughout our lives, that, though the terrain might be very difficult to navigate at times, God is always there.

The Closeness of our God

In today's first reading, Dt 4:1, 5-9, Moses asks the people:  "[W]hat great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?" And we, today, can say to our children and grandchildren, our nieces and nephews, our grandnieces and grandnephews: "Who, like us, has a God who walked among us here on earth,  fulfilling the letter of the law in loving his neighbors, eating with outcasts, forgiving sins, raising the "dead" to life, curing illnesses and diseases of all kinds, who accepted all peoples as equals?   Who, like us, has a God (Jesus Christ, the second person of the Blessed Trinity) who showed us how to love God unreservedly, trust God totally and say yes to God even to the point of death on the cross?  Who, like us, has a God who walks with us, talks with us, counsels us, guides us, lives within us, and who strengthens us on a daily basis to follow His ways of justice and peace, forgiveness and mercy and unconditional love for all peoples regardless of their race or creed, gender or nationality, or cultural backgrounds? Who, like us, has a God who fulfills the law and brings each one of us to fulfillment, as well?

Do I, do you, know this God personally? Do we take time to get to know God by reading and reflecting upon the Scriptures, by spending time in personal, communal, familial prayer? Do we take time to dwell in solitude listening to the Lord speak to us, flooding us with peace, calming our fears, purifying our hearts and enlightening our minds?