Sunday Gospel – Mark 1:14-20
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.
Gospel Commentary
How difficult it is to give up what you’ve always known and follow God. What must have gone through the minds of those disciples who gave up everything to follow Jesus? What must their friends and families have thought and said?
I often think that it seemed so easy for the disciples to have given up everything and followed the Lord, but reality was probably very different. We know from the Bible that Jesus and many of his followers were executed for their faith. What we don’t hear much of is the bullying which must have gone on before those executions. Because it happened to someone else, it seems less real, less intense, or less painful, and yet, these were real people with real thoughts, feelings, fears, hopes, dreams, and loves.
How hard it must have been to, “Come follow me.”
Would you be able to do it? What path is God allowing your life to take right now? How are you shaping that path with or without God’s guidance?
If your marriage is ending and life is seeming lost, you still must hope your ex becomes caught in the net of Jesus’ love either with or without you. Taking care of yourself, protecting yourself and your children and still being the light for your ex to follow is extremely difficult and yet, Jesus calls each of us to be “fishers of men.”
What rejoicing there would be if your spouse repaired his relationship with the Lord because you never left the right path because you allowed the Lord to work through you? Even if it takes years, you may bring Jesus into someone else’s life by being a present day Fisher of Men.
God Bless… _____________________________________________________________________________________
SMS Sunday posts give the day’s Gospel Reading and a commentary reflecting how that reading may apply to the lives of those struggling with relationship issues.