Gospel Mk 1:14-20

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.

Reflection

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.”

With John the Baptist arrested, Jesus began His ministry of spreading the “Good News” of God’s love. He reached out to people from all walks of life.

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.”

Jesus is not selective: He is all inclusive. Jesus sees the power, the strength and the potential of every man and woman to do good.

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.

Jesus does not force His way into our lives.
As He did with the four fishermen who became Apostles, Jesus also extends an invitation to each of us to follow Him.

There is a famous picture of Jesus knocking on a door that has no handle on the outside. The door represents your heart and can only be opened from the inside. The message is clear: it is left to each of us whether we will invite Jesus into our hearts.

In a world filled with violence, strife and turmoil, Jesus does not promise a life without struggle. But His invitation is always accompanied by the assurance of peace of mind and heart for those who “open the door” and accept His invitation to “Come, follow me.”

“Here I stand knocking at the door. If anyone opens, I will come in and dine with him.” Revelations: 3:20.