Spiritual Corner -- Come Follow Me

Today, Jesus is calling Peter and Andrew, James and John to follow him. He does not say come and see as he says in the Gospel of John instead, in a very simple and direct way, he says:” Come follow me!” They immediately leave everything and follow him--- these include their families, their work, friends and all their material possessions. What does it mean? It means to be true disciples of Jesus, we have to change the ways we live our lives and believe in the Good News of God.

But why immediately, what is the urgency? It is because the time has come and the Kingdom of God is near. It is all around us. It is in our hearts. It is here. The Kingdom of God is Jesus and we are to go out and say, “Repent, and come back to the Father.” This Kingdom is going to begin now with us and it will spread until the whole world hears the Good News of Jesus Christ.

But in this calling, Jesus is not only calling us to do something. He is also calling us to stay away from things that we treasure. God is saying, “You must leave the things of the past, your families, friends, everything and come and see the new way of life that I will show you.”

Remember Abraham, God calls him to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house and to the land that God will show him. And God will make him a great nation so that his name will be great and he will be a great blessing to all peoples. Abraham listens, believes and he leaves his country as the Lord has told him. Because of Abraham’s faith, he follows God, and a whole new world of hope and love begins.

So, what is the Kingdom of God? It is Jesus. The Kingdom is not a territory. It is God himself, coming in love to create a family. And it is Jesus who is the Kingdom. And so, what Jesus is saying is:” Come follow me and I will show you the Kingdom, because you will be walking with me and I will show you what I have come to give the world.”

Today, Jesus is calling us to look into our hearts where the real Kingdom is, a kingdom of love and mercy, a kingdom of hope and joy, a kingdom of peace and justice, a kingdom of healing and forgiveness, a kingdom where people are willing to reach out to care for those in need: the poor, the sick, the lonely, the imprisoned. If we understand how much God loves us, we will understand that Jesus has come to show us how to change ourselves and to change the world. Then we will be fishers of people instead of fishers of worldly goods.

What is holding us back is our own fear. If we give ourselves completely into the hands of God, what will become of our families, our jobs, and all the things that we love to possess?

And Jesus says the only answer is to have faith and believe in him that he will be with us until the end of time.

We have heard the calling to be fishers of people, it is time for action. Let us all become good fishers of people with Mary as our teacher and guide.

Yours,
Deacon Thomas Kung