One parishioner asked, “Father, have you ever heard someone in the confessional who confessed that they gossiped about you?” Those who were at the table laughed. Another parishioner then said, “Would we even be Catholics if we don’t talk about someone behind their backs?” Well, that got uncomfortable and did not get much traction. Nonetheless, it brought up a very interesting point that we must all reflect upon… While it is easy to talk about others behind their backs, how many of us are willing to engage in a dialogue with the person who might be hard to love at the moment? Furthermore, how many of us are asking the real question of whether you and I are living the Gospel and how it has changed us?
The Gospel reading fromĀ Matthew 4:12-23 that we read two Sundays ago, the Lord tied together the message of repentance for theĀ KingdomĀ being at hand andĀ the calling of the first disciples. It might seem odd and unfitting at first, but I believe they are two sides of the same message, for we are called to both seek conversion of heart and to leave everything behind to follow Him on this journey of faith. As a matter of fact, repentance and following Him is not an act of leisure or convenience! We are called to repent each and every day in order to let go of whatever is holding us back, distracting or manipulating us, or somehow making us dependent on worldly things or ourselves, so as to choose and love Him first and foremost.
Repentance requires us to humbly see and accept whatever is still holding us back, distracting us, or possessing our hearts. Without genuine repentance and personal conversion, His Kingdom cannot be among us because it never truly reigns over us. So many things in this world want to take possession of us, distracting and stealing our attention, energy, effort, and focus because they do not want us manipulate, control, and dictate us, and that is why the practice of daily examination of conscience and frequent prayer times allow us to recognize how He has been speaking to us and what have been pulling our hearts away from Him. Thus, if we have sinned or put other things or people more than Him, may we quickly come to repentance and return to the One who truly loves us instead of following the temporary and vain things in this world.
However, conversion alone is not enough. We must also choose to leave our nets behind to follow Him! The second part of the Gospel message highlighted the calling of the first disciples. I believe it was meant to be an allegorical twist and word play to challenge the readers, because here is this Guy calling experienced fishermen to follow Him… but not just to be fishers of fish, but fishers of men. It might seem odd and funny at first, but it all makes sense if we dig deeper with the same theme of conversion and allowing ourselves to be surprised, captivated, and called by Him beyond our feeble and human-based understanding. We all know that fishers catch fish, which can be sold or used to provide for their materialistic, financial, and human needs… but He gave them a new mission to catch men! He used what they knew and elevated it to the spiritual, salvific, and redemptive level, so now they know that He desired that they cast nets to win souls for the Kingdom. This is important for us to remember that the Lord often meets us where we are, uses similar images, mindsets, and relatable matters, and brings them to a deeper, substantial, and life-giving level that is grounded in a genuine and personal response of faith, hope, and love.
Discipleship is not something we do out of leisure, convenience, or whenever we feel like it or have time for it. Being disciples means to leave our old ways behind in a personal, radical, and definite way in order to follow the Master. It might seem so easy when we read the Gospel, but it is personally hard when we are the ones who have to choose to leave whatever we have built for ourselves and choose Him. This is why the call to conversion and repentance go hand in hand with the call to leave everything behind to come and follow Him! I do not know about you, but I struggle every day to leave what I have personally planned, hoped, or wanted for myself and learn to practice spiritual indifference, detachment, and trust in Him. Many times, that involve me rebuking the temptations and lies that the evil spirits try to fill my mind, renouncing its entices and the natural attractions, distractions, or doubts that arose from them, and rejecting them by making an act of the will to remember who I am and who He is to me, refocus on what is truly important, and rejoice in His faithful love for me — even in the midst of the storms.
In a similar vein, St. Paul challenged the Corinthian community (1:10-17) about who they truly belong to and why their worldly, humanistic, idolized, and shallow version of faith created division within the Mystical Body of Christ! The Corinthians were like us in so many different ways, wanting to put their allegiance on people instead of the Lord. Their rivalries created divisions and destroyed the true union they were called to have in Christ Jesus, with one heart, mind, and purpose. They were worried about belonging to Apollos, Paul, or Cephas (Peter), just like we nowadays worry about being Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals, patriots, progressives, or any other political, social, or ideological definitions. Furthermore, some are more worried about being Americans or their own comfort-based, self-righteous, or myopic version of Catholicism, more than what it really means to be faithfully, genuinely, and universally Catholics!
What name are we proud to bear? Where do we find our identity and worth? Where are our values and coming from? Too many times, we have allowed ourselves to be defined by worldly standards, political identities, social statuses, vain glories, public opinions, and/or ideological theories. We worry more about our association with certain groups or circles, how we look or act in front of people, or how to gain the attention and praise of others, than we have forgotten who we are as people of faith. Many of us have forgotten the first, only, and true life-giving name that we bear, especially when we were baptized into Christ and became parts of the Church. For me, the only name that really matters is Christian, for we are first, foremost, and always called to be disciples of Christ! Therefore, we must ask ourselves how we conduct our everyday matters to let that real life of discipleship become a real life priority and allow people to see that through us, by how we speak, act, care, love, and serve one another.
Think about it, my brothers and sisters, we are indeed the living Good News that others come to see! I hope what we are preaching, living, and believing is worthwhile, pointing beyond ourselves and the matters of this world, inspiring people to seek holiness and conversion of heart, thus opening our hearts up to be sanctified and guided by the power and working of the Holy Spirit. This world needs something better than what is being portrayed, talked about, and sold to people each and every day.
People might not understand the real reason at first, but we can be the genuine and heartfelt sources of light that lead them to Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life of this world. We can bring them to Him in prayer as well as in worship, offering them up in prayer and worship so that His grace can be at work in them just as it has been at work in us. We can be there for them when they ask questions regarding the life of discipleship and joyfully teach them that following Christ is worthwhile even when it can get challenging at times. We can affirm to them that His love is much more than anything or anyone can ever offer to us in this world, and it is an indescribable joy that no one or nothing in this world can ever rob or steal away from us! In short, we can all let the real Gospel be received, transformed, and enlivened in us and through us so we can become living witnesses and testimonies of the good news of what God has done for us and for the world.
This is where the life of discipleship takes place! We integrate what we have received in prayer and worship by choosing to put the Gospel into action. We choose to serve others because we want to share His love with them, because we ourselves have experienced in a special way through prayer and worship. Service is a personal and genuine way to let our faith be enlivened through actions, so what we received in prayer and worship is being put into practice by how we choose to serve, care, and be present to those who are around us. It challenges us to seek His presence in others and to allow Him to speak to us through those who are around us; thus, service humbles and challenges us to care in real, personal, and genuine ways because we choose to love as He loves. Therefore, let us seek to repent and choose to follow Him each day. May we choose to rise above the rivalry and division mindset to truly embrace the call to seek genuine unity and service in the name of the Lord so others can see His light radiating through us and His love enlivened in us. I pray that the joy of the Gospel changes us deep from within and that joy is shared by how we love and care for one another.