Why would these fishermen listen to this invitation from Jesus? There must have been a sense of trust in Jesus, or a least a certain confidence that He knew where it was He was going. What was it about His invitation that would intrigue Simon and Andrew? What was it about His call that caused James and John to desire to want to know more about Him?
“Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” Matthew 4:18‐22
At first when we hear the call of Jesus to follow Him we can get the impression that we are being called to follow Him like we would any other person. Only when we begin to become conscious of who Jesus really is and what following Him will cost us personally, can we then be at a place to make a decision to be His disciple. Who is Jesus really: http://youtu.be/6aZsH-Ca7WU
When we respond to the call to be a disciple, Jesus’ words begin to deepen in meaning and significance. No longer does the call merely mean “give me your life.” He begins to take the relationship a step further and “Follow Me” becomes, “Do as I do – heal as I heal, forgive as I forgive; set my people free from the bondage of slavery, of illness, or poverty.” Jesus’ invitation is an invitation to participate in His redemptive mission.
When we participate in a ministry we are seeking to carry out Jesus’ mission by bringing about supernatural changes into the lives of the people we are ministering to. Quite literally Jesus’ saving power, His victory over sin, Satan, chaos, division, loneliness, ignorance, lies, abuse, neglect, poverty, and the many other effects of sin; begin to become eradicated from the lives of the people we serve.
Being involved in a ministry at St. Kateri is one way to live out our response to discipleship. Each of our ministries, in their unique way strive to call forth other disciples and equip them to be leaders who carry the transforming light of the Gospel into the world.
No matter where you are on your journey, we welcome you to join us in hearing the call to follow Jesus as His disciple.
Contact information for each ministry may be found in the bulletin.