teaching us how to fish
"They were fishermen. [Jesus] said to them, 'Come after Me and I will make you fishers of men.' " —Matthew 4:18-19
The first calling Jesus gave His disciples was to be "fishers of men." To Jesus' first four disciples, the term "fishers of men" meant that:
- Jesus wanted to use their work experience to build His kingdom.
- Jesus was calling them out of the commercial fishing business (Mt 4:20).
- Jesus was calling them to leave father and family (Mt 4:22).
- They were to catch people, that is, lead people to Christ.
- Their new kind of fishing would likewise be hard, back-breaking work with long and difficult hours (see Jn 21:3, 6).
- They would never catch any fish or men except by the grace of God.
St. Andrew, a fisherman, understood what Jesus meant, and he immediately fished for his brother, Simon (Jn 1:40-41). Andrew was such a champion "fisher of men" that when some Greeks came to Philip and asked to see Jesus, "Philip went to tell Andrew" (Jn 12:22). May we be like Andrew and understand that discipleship is receiving the grace to make a radical decision to evangelize no matter what the cost. Let's go fishing with Jesus.
Prayer: Father, may I live and die to evangelize.
Promise: "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." —Rm 10:9
Praise: St. Andrew is said to have preached Jesus even as he was being crucified on an X-shaped cross.
Reference: (For a related teaching on Evangelization is Like Fishing, order, listen to, or download our CD 55-1 or DVD 55 on our website.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, May 3, 2018
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