Following Jesus

We are called by Jesus

When Jesus begins his preaching, walking along the lakeshore, he sees Peter and Andrew and says to them: “Follow me”; leaving their nets, they followed him (Mt 4:18-22). Then he sees the sons of Zebedee: he calls them. Leaving their boat and their father, they

follow him. Likewise, as he passes by, he sees Levi sitting at the tax booth. He says to him: “follow me.” He got up and followed him. To form the group of the twelve apostles, he calls those he wanted, to be with him and to send them out to fish (Mk 3:13-22). The history of salvation is a history of callings. God calls Abraham: “leave your country and go to the place I will show you.” He calls Moses at the burning bush. He calls the prophets. Jesus is the Son of God, sent to gather all the scattered children of God. Jesus calls me too. Jesus calls you too.

Why does Jesus call us?

I am not a member of the Word of God group merely because I like this group. It may happen one day that the group no longer pleases me—so what will I do then? I do not come to the Word of God group merely because someone invited me. That person may leave the group, and would I then remain? I do not come to the group merely to follow the example of a brother or a sister. That person may lose their faith and cease to be a witness. So if my commitment rests only on the life of this brother or sister, it will collapse. I do not come to the group merely to follow the teachings or to listen to the Word of God. I do not come to the group merely because I want to grow in my faith. I am a Christian because Jesus calls me. I am a member of the Word of God group because it is a call from Jesus. It may have come through someone or through a deep desire of my heart. “No one can come to me unless my Father calls him” (Jn 6:44). We are all called by Jesus. For many, this is not the first time they hear this call. But it is God’s way to insist, to repeat himself. When he calls, he insists: Abraham, Abraham! Moses, Moses! Samuel, Samuel, Samuel! Saint Paul too hears the voice of Jesus: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? In this new year, this call of Jesus rings out: “come, follow me; you too, come after me.” Even within the Church, Christians rarely understand that they are called. Perhaps you were already following Jesus while often stopping and turning back, committing sin and choosing options contrary to this call. Jesus said: “whoever puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not worthy of me.” The one who stops often along the road, out of breath, is tired or sick. If in my relationship with Jesus I am sick, then let me pray to him: “Lord, help me to follow you without stopping, without turning back.”

Perhaps I am already following him, but slowly. Perhaps I am already following him, but while also following other masters—the honors and powers of this world, the cult of personality, pleasures and riches, that is, the things we cling to excessively. We often follow other masters who lead us to do what Jesus does not want. “Whoever does not love his father, his mother… more than me is not worthy of me.” And again: “no one can serve two masters at once. Whoever is not for me is against me.” In this year Jesus reminds you, tells you that he wants you to follow him completely and at his pace. Two thousand years ago, Jesus called the twelve apostles. They labored for the kingdom and handed on the faith to us. We too are called, and the faith of our family, of our Church, and of future generations depends on our response to this call.

Called to be with Jesus

“He called the twelve to be with him and to send them out to preach.” The first thing for which Jesus calls us is not, first of all, to work for him, but to be with him: to spend time with him, to converse with him, to look upon him heart to heart, to listen to him in order to please him. And yet we often dread times of prayer. One of the faults we frequently commit is not being men and women who pray much and spend much time conversing with Jesus. “Martha, why are you anxious? Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her,” Jesus said to Martha about Mary. If we dread this intimate conversation with Jesus, it is because he is not yet a friend. Let us pray this way in this new year: “Lord, help me to spend time with you, to be with you.”

Henri Bayemi