He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea… We see that Jesus leaves the center (Jerusalem and its suburbs) of Jewish religion, culture and life and goes to Galilee to call His first disicples, Galileans – Peter, Andrew, James and John. For the most part, the Jewish leaders had determined where the Messiah should come from and what kind of person he would be. St. Matthew in today’s gospel quotes the prophet Isaiah (our first reading). Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light… Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah.
Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus’s message is appropriate to every generation down through the centuries and to those yet to come as well. Sin clouds our spiritual vision. When we repent, go to Confession and sincerely seek conversion, we better recognize the presence and action of Jesus Christ in our lives. We recognize the kingdom of God in our midsts. We remove any impediments preventing us from helping to make the kingdom of God grow. We better hear the call of Jesus: Come after me….
The Lord is my light and my salvation. Jesus Christ is the Light that came into the world to overcome the darkness of sin and death. Jesus calls us to walk in the light – not in darkness.
We will more than likely have some difficult times in our lives – loss of health, death of a loved one, loss of a job, a broken relationship etc. The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? Jesus is our refuge in these dark times. We stay close to the Light, especially through prayer and receiving the sacraments.
May God bless us all always!
Deacon Mike