Follow Me, and I will make you Fishers of Men.

Homily for November 30, 2017.

“Immediately, they left the boat and their father, and followed him.” Matthew 4:22.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Andrew, the saint who is also known as the advent indicator. You may have noticed that each year, advent usually begins on the Sunday closest to the feast of St. Andrew. It is taken that once we celebrate this feast, we should now begin to prepare to welcome the child Jesus.

This morning, I would like us to reflect on the words of Jesus to Peter and Andrew as well as the sons of Zebedee: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” With just this phrase, Jesus succeeded in calling the apostles to himself and without any hesitation, they left everything else behind and followed him.

In a world of Twitter, the word “follow” has not only become popular, it has rather assumed a new dimension. To follow a person on social media is to be totally available to whatever the person posts or writes on his or her page or wall. It is to be willing to listen (or read) whatever the person says. When you follow a person, you are one of the first to know what is happening with that person.

The question I should ask myself today is: “Who am I following? Or better put, “Who am I available to? Jesus or some popular celebrity who does not even give a dime as to his or her moral life? Do I realize that whoever I follow influences me directly or indirectly?

Dear friends, just as Jesus told the Apostles, Jesus is still inviting us today to FOLLOW HIM. Spend quality time each day with Jesus, read his words, share his posts, check on Jesus everyday by reading a portion of the Bible. Following Jesus might not be fun, there might be no comedy on his page but I assure you, following Jesus will open your eyes to see sin for what it is. Following Jesus will make you less blind to evil.

And the Good News is that no one follows Jesus in vain. Those who follow Jesus become fishers of men. Not only are you freed from the darkness of sin and evil in the world around you, you are able to free others and show them the way to true life. As St. Paul tells us in our first reading, the only way people can be saved is for them to first hear the word of God but unless there are people willing to preach that word, no one would hear it.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may I wholly follow you like St. Andrew and the other apostles. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. (Feast of St. Andrew. Bible Study: Romans 10:9-18 and Matthew 4:18-22).