By Sr Lini Sheeja MSC from Germany.
Did Jesus find no other place than the seashore to call the first ones whom He wanted? In the days of Jesus fishermen were not considered members of high society. The occupation of the fishermen was not considered a great job, but rather the lowest of the low in society. Among the 12 disciples of Jesus, eight of them were fishermen. In Matthew 4:19 we read that Jesus tells the ones whom he wanted, “Follow me, I will make you fishers of men”. Jesus the master of our vocations, respects the profession, which was considered the lowest of the low. As Jesus calls these fishermen, He tells them with complete respect that what they were doing was good, but he adds that he was happy with their fishing, but he wanted them now to fish people instead. Jesus wanted them to set their goals with His goals. The God who chose most of His disciples from the seashore continues to call us from our humble backgrounds to place our goals alongside the goal of Jesus. Our humble backgrounds are appreciated and loved by the Master who called us and who continues to call us.
The Powerful Two Words
Jesus just goes to the seashore and finds some people who are dependent on the sea for their livelihood and tells them just two words: “Follow me.” Are these two words so powerful that the fishermen responded immediately, leaving their families and livelihood? These two words remain so powerful even today that they continue to call people from different corners of the world together for one purpose and goal. Will Jesus ever abandon the ones whom He called to be with Him and to be sent out for His mission? Are we all afraid of the moments when we are facing hardships in our lives? Or are we ready to go ahead and stand firmly with our Master as these fishermen did? As we are celebrating the Month of the Consecrated, it is good to reflect on the one look and the two words of Jesus which have had a great impact even after 2000 years.
The Background of Two Words and One Look
“And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them” Exodus 3:9. When God heard the cry of the Israelites he looked at Moses and picked him up from his workplace. The call of Moses had a purpose. When God called Moses, He said that the cry of the Israelites had reached Him and He needed Moses. Dear friends, today we are called because someone’s cry has reached the Lord. How many of us have understood this fact about the core of our calling? When we have to walk on thorns in our religious journey, we ought never to make the decision to quit religious life. Remember always that someone has cried to the Lord and the Lord wants us to be His feet, hands, and hearts in this world. Our vocation is to wipe out those tears which God saw and heard. How can we remain in our comfort zones and let them continue to cry?
The Purpose of the One Look and Two-Words
The One look and two words of Jesus have a great purpose in our lives. He wants us to be courageous and work hard for Him. He wants us to unload all our worries on Him and focus on the goals to which we are called. When we are facing hardship in our lives or when we are misunderstood in our communities, let us recall the look of our Master who called us from our humble backgrounds. When we are tired, when we are worn out in our tasks, let these two words of our Master, “Follow me” echo in our hearts and strengthen us. God who picked us in our littleness, is so great that nothing is impossible to Him. We need to trust in Him and trust our journey.
The One Look and the Two Words that has ever since Continued
God, who looked at Moses and picked him from his workplace, continues to pick fishermen from seashores through the person of Jesus. His call continues to reach us today in our seashores and farms as He calls each of us today. Ordinary fishermen were called and sent out on an extra-ordinary mission. Remember, we too are called and sent on a mission to the ones whose cry resounded so loud before God. Are we not wasting our lives if we have not discerned the core of our vocation? We entered religious and priestly life with a dream of becoming a priest/religious. Our dreams have been fulfilled and we find ourselves now as religious and priests. Now, we need to move towards becoming visionaries. We need to die for our master by battling against the evils of the world. Stand firm for the Lord and He will make a way for us. Be generous with your time for the Lord and let the Lord rejoice over us.
The Power of One Look and Two Words
Dear readers of this article, youth of our day, you men and women who are discerning your vocation today: Are you all so occupied with your daily routines? Be open to the voice of the Lord who wants us out of our littleness and brokenness. Take a moment and lift up your eyes to have a look on that one look of our Master which is so powerful. Open your inner ears and listen to those powerful two words of Jesus, “Follow Me”. This one look and two words can change you and give you a new life. This one look and two words will help you to redirect your ways. This one look and two words are so faithful that they will carry you and comfort you when you are down. This one look and two words will pour on you the graces that you are in need of. This one look and two words will never cheat you or let you down. If you can rely and trust on this one look and two words of Jesus which are so powerful, say yes now, embrace Jesus and follow Him.
Sr Lini Sheeja MSC, belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. She worked as the team member of Child-line, BOSCO Bangalore. She served as the Geriatric Medical Social Worker at St John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore. Her motto My God provides and so no child should go uneducated makes her to reach out many orphan and children in distress. She served as the National Secretary of Prison Ministry India. She also served as the Chief-Editor for Prison Voice, a national monthly magazine and is the author of five books. In her fifth book named, Holy Warriors in Prisons, she invites the readers to heed to the cries of the innocents and act on it. Contact: [email protected]
Vocation comes from the Latin word vocare that means call. That is why Jesus says that many are called but few are chosen. Some seem to make the choice out of circumstances and not the call. That is why my guru Fr Deenabandhu Ofm Cap used to say “Many are cold and a few are frozen”. Nevertheless we should encourage genuine vocations with the emphasis on quality not quantity.
Sometimes it is also “one look” at the lavish lifestyles of some clergy or the security and dignity of religious life that makes youngsters take “two steps” forward. A good and Holy example is the best vocation promoter.