At the Liturgy last Sunday, the reading, taken from Mathew’s Gospel, described Jesus walking beside the Sea of Galilee and inviting some of the fishermen to leave their nets and follow Him.

There are so many things about the way Mathew tells the story that intrigue me.

It sounds like Jesus was just out for a walk beside the lake and came across the fishermen. Also, these fishermen, we are told, immediately left their boats and nets and went with Jesus.Can this possibly be a factual account of what happened beside that lake so long ago?

I am forever intrigued because the story omits all the things the fishermen took into consideration before they responded to Jesus, leaving us to wonder: what were they leaving behind in order to walk with Jesus? What were the ramifications of their decision?

What if Jesus asked you to come with Him?

Think of the story you might tell: a time you sensed that Jesus was asking you to leave something behind and set out to follow Him.

How would you tell the story? Where were you? What were you doing? How did you respond?

What would you leave behind to follow Jesus?

I invite you to rewrite the story Mathew told in your own words, from your own point of view.

We are all called. We are all chosen. How would you tell Mathew’s story?

What is your story and what would be important for you to include?

"In short, to live life, we need to accept the challenge to leave. Today, Jesus extends this invitation to each of us." - Pope Francis, Angelus, January 22, 2023

Sister Rosemary Fry

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