Fishers of Men

For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.

- Lk 5:1-11


I heard this reading twice this weekend, having sung with a small group of people for both the Saturday evening and Sunday morning masses. The thing that struck me, other than the full obedience of Simon earlier in the reading (Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets."), is the ending. And they left EVERYTHING and followed him.

I'm no theologian or great Bible scholar. I'm a mom with limited understanding of most things. But this IS the part that caught my mind. Imagine leaving everything today behind to follow the Lord. EVERYTHING.

No more cushy vans, no more computers, no more blogging (heaven forbid!), no more expensive lattes. Just you, the Lord, and the clothes on your back. Consider that.

When I left the mass last night, this was what stayed with me. And I think it will, for a long time. I felt God in the mass last night for the first time in a long time. I left with an uplifted feeling. His love buoyed me home.

So while it isn't feasible to leave every material thing now, I will leave my prejudices, my bad thoughts and feelings, my very human ideals and follow him now. I will continue to fish, as He commanded.