A GREAT MISSION

     The Gospels of the early Sundays of the Year following the Baptism of the Lord continue the account of the beginnings of His public ministry. Today we hear of the call of four of the Apostles: two pairs of brothers—Simon and Andrew, and James and John.

     All four of them were fishermen. St. Matthew tells us that James and John were the sons of Zebedee, a man wealthy enough to have hired men working under him. They were clearly destined to follow in their father’s footsteps and take over the family firm. Taken altogether these four men were not learned, or trained religious teachers, yet Our Lord had other plans for them.

     Their training as fishermen was not to be in vain—it was to prepare them for a far greater calling, to join Our Lord in His mission, or to be “Fishers of Men” as Our Lord puts it in today’s Gospel. A fisherman at sea has to know how to read the signs of the weather and its effects on the sea, to know the likelihood of the whereabouts, varieties and likely plentifulness of the fish available, and to be prepared to work hard as part of a team. A fisher of men, such as Our Lord was, and trained His followers to be, has to read the signs of the times and their effects on the minds and hearts of men, women and children, and to be ready to meet the needs of many different types of people whom he meets, and to help them to understand their need for God and His gifts of salvation, and their obligation to Him as their Maker and Redeemer.      ~      Fr. Paul Dobson