Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 14, 2019
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 left 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.
Unlike those called by Jesus in today’s Gospel, I am not a fisherman; I am an accounting professor. My daily tasks do not include cleaning fish or mending nets; my days typically include grading exams, preparing lectures, and reading and writing research papers.
Despite the contrast in workplaces, I imagined, as I read today’s Gospel, how I would react if Jesus stopped in my office and said, “Come after me.” What would you have me do? I asked. Immediately, a task came to mind that I had been avoiding—go to confession. When would you have me go? Glancing at the clock, I realized if I left right then I would make it just in time for confession and mass at the Basilica. I have to admit my first thought was that I could go next Thursday, too, when the timing would be much more convenient for me (as was my usual strategy for putting off confession).
However, motivated by the immediate action of Simon, Andrew, James, and John, I decided to stop what I was doing and go right then. It is ridiculous to compare my simple walk across campus to the enormous leaps of faith taken by the apostles, but there was something beautiful about living the message of this Gospel by dropping everything I was doing to encounter Jesus through the sacraments. Today’s Gospel challenged me to think about the different ways Jesus is calling me and to respond with immediate action, rather than let other, less important tasks take priority. What should I do? Follow Jesus. When? Now.
Prayer
Almighty God, the first apostles left everything behind when Jesus invited them to follow him. Give us that same courage, so that we might follow you joyfully. Do not allow us to cling to the familiar things of this world, but instead increase our faith in your divine providence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Felix had remarkable humility, which made him a great friend to the poor and a servant in all things.
Felix was born in Nola, which is near present-day Naples, Italy, in the third-century Roman Empire. His father was a Roman soldier who had retired, and when he died, Felix gave his inheritance to the poor and became a priest.
He was ordained by Bishop St. Maximus of Nola (whose feast day is tomorrow) and became his assistant. When the emperor Decius began persecuting Christians in 250, Maximus fled to the desert. Authorities arrested Felix instead and beat him. Legend tells us that an angel repeatedly freed Felix from prison so that he could care for the ailing Maximus, whom he brought back to Nola.
When Maximus died, the people called for Felix to replace him as bishop, but Felix deferred out of seniority to another man who had been ordained a week longer. Felix spent the rest of his life farming a small piece of land and giving what little he had to those who were even poorer than he.
Felix died on this date in 255 of natural causes, but because of his imprisonment and torture, he was venerated by the early Church as a martyr. His tomb in Nola became famous for the many miracles reported there, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel of the Basilica, as do the relics of his mentor, St. Maximus.
St. Felix, who humbly cared for the poor and who suffered for his faith, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Felix is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed November 14, 2024.