FISHERS OF MEN

FISHERS OF MEN

 

 

 

“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” – Mark 1:17

 

The Bukas Loob Sa Diyos-Gawad Kalinga ministry (BLD-GK) members were awake at the crack of dawn on a rainy Sunday for the two-hour drive to Cabiao, Nueva Ecija. They were eager to conduct a basic Bible seminar.

It was the first time for most of the participants to hold a Bible. At the far end of the packed room, a frail-looking man in his mid-50s was visibly struggling with the first exercise. I immediately approached him. I saw the pain in his eyes as he struggled to write down the titles of the different books of the Bible. He got stuck with “Exodo“ and lagged far behind the rest of the class.

I soon realized what his problem was. He could barely write and was patiently copying from the blackboard, one letter at a time. But it did not stop him from actively participating and listening intently all day long.

It was almost dark and it was pouring when we left the Fr. Lehman’s BLD-GK village. My husband, Raul, and I were tired, sweaty and smelly. But our hearts were full of joy and love. We had done our part in spreading the Gospel, at least for that day. Mari Sison-Garcia (mari_sison_garcia@yahoo.com)

 

REFLECTION:

“Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

 

Lord, continue to use me to help build Your kingdom. 

 

THE ESSENCE OF DISCIPLESHIP

 

The essence of discipleship is obedience. This is worked out, practically speaking, in our lives, through our willingness to follow where the Spirit of God leads us. Jesus calls the first disciples and they follow Him. This sounds like a very simple dynamic but if we look a little deeper into the word “follow,” we will discover that it is not as simple as it first seems.

To follow carries with it the connotation of imitating what someone does. Thus, disciples of Jesus are really imitators of Jesus; whatever He does or says serves as an example that marks out the life we are to live as His disciples. If it is good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for us. This applies to every aspect of our lives, including suffering. At the heart of the idea of imitating another person is the belief that their life is worth imitating. We should work towards this point sothat others will believe that our lives are worth imitating.

Another meaning of the word “follow” is the physical act of following a person along a particular path or journey. It is not enough just to watch Christianity happen around us; we need to be personally involved, and the only way to be so is to “walk the walk” and “talk the talk.” A disciple is willing to go wherever the Master leads him or her. This can be very challenging at times, particularly when we do not understand where we are going or even why we are going. This is where faith and trust come into the equation of discipleship. We have to learn to trust Jesus that wherever He leads us, there is a good purpose and reason.

Sometimes it is not for us to understand everything; but it is always true that we should obey everything God asks us to do. The challenges we will face in the life of discipleship are many and varied but we can always overcome them through trust and obedience to God. This may not be easy, but it is the path to eternal life — and I am sure that is the goal of us all!Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

How can I become a more faithful follower of Jesus?

 

Holy Spirit, show me the things in my life that are hindering my growth in faith and help me to renounce each one of them.

 

St. Boadin, pray for us.