Jesus is the only one to follow

THE ONLY ONE TO FOLLOW

Mt. 4: 12-23

Zebedee was a fisherman.  As far as we know, he had two sons, James and John.  They had learned their father’s trade.  I’m sure their father was happy that his sons had followed in his footsteps.  It was a secure job.  When he retired, they would have a trade and livelihood.  But he was starting to wonder if they would follow in his footsteps.  Like so many people of their day, they had gone to listen to John the Baptist and were becoming his followers.  Then one day their lives took a completely new turn.  John the Baptist pointed in the direction of Jesus and said, “Look, there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  That was enough to interest them in Jesus.  There was something about Him that attracted them. 

The day of decision came when they saw Jesus on the sea shore of Galilee.  They were with their father in their boat mending their nets.  All Jesus did was to call them, and at once leaving the boat and their father, they followed Him.  Just before this Jesus had done exactly the same to two of their friends who were also fishermen and brothers, Simon and Andrew.

I am not surprised that these four young men needed little coaxing to leave their father and secure occupation to join Jesus.  Even though they knew very little about Him, the attractiveness of His personality was enough to capture their attention.  Jesus was one of those rare men whom you would want to follow to the ends of the earth, never to let Him out of your sight and to hear and treasure every word He spoke.  I can’t imagine how anyone who met Jesus would Him just let Him pass by in their lives.  Or if they heard Him speak let it not penetrate their hearts and say I want to hear more.   I think their reaction is ”Wow!”   I want to be a part of Him.  I want to follow Him.  I am not going to let Him out of my sight.  That’s how I feel about Jesus, and I am sure that is how you feel about Him too.  Millions of men and women who have lived after Simon, Andrew, James and John have felt the same.  Men and women like Francis of Assisi, Benedict of Monte Casino, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Therese of Lisieux to mention a few.  These four saints that I have mentioned knew far more about Jesus than the two sets of brothers at the time when they were called to be His followers.  At that time they knew nothing about His wonderful sayings, the miracles He worked and the generosity He was to show by dying on a cross for the salvation of the human race.

When I witness football stadiums crowded with thousands of people every Saturday and shopping centres on a Sunday with people doing their weekly shopping or looking for bargains, and then see the half empty Catholic Churches on Sunday, I think to myself, “something is wrong”.  What attracts them to watch football and flock to shopping malls and not to the Catholic Church where their God and Saviour is?  Could it be because no one has told them what they are missing?  I say to myself, “can there be any comparison to twenty- two men kicking a football and trying to get it between goal posts and people bargain hunting in shopping malls to meeting Jesus Christ in His home in a Catholic Church?”  To me there is no comparison. 

Some of the people who go to watch football matches make heroes and idols of footballers, who will be in the limelight for not more than fifteen years and will soon disappear into the record books or oblivion.  Whereas Jesus Christ has stood the test of time and will always be the central figure of human history.  Would any of those footballers die to save the souls of their fans?  They would not want to know them.  As long as they help to pay their wages they are happy.  What sayings will those footballers have that will inspire the lives of countless lives of their fans in years to come?  Are they really role models for us and our children?  Whereas Jesus is the best role model we could ever hope to have.  The example of His life and His sayings have stood the test of time and lift us through every hardship in life and bring light into the darkness of our lives.

There is another point that is worth considering.  If footballers lose their spark and the team they play for fall down the league tables; if shops do not give people the goods they want to buy, they will lose the support of people.  So too with people who come to worship God in Church, if the service we priests provide is not full of life and meaningful, we will see a drop in Mass attendance.  We priests have to be full of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to work through us, and so with His help, pass on to others the richness of our faith.

Lord Jesus, we thank You for calling us to be Your follower and may our following of You attract others.

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