We have in the first
reading the proph-
ecy of Isaiah: “The
people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light; those
who dwelt in a land of deep dark-
ness, on them has light shined. You
have multiplied the nation, you have
increased its joy; they rejoice before
you as with joy at the harvest, as men
rejoice when they divide the spoil”
(Isa. 9:2-3). The prophet is speaking
of the land of Galilee which was occu-
pied by the two tribes of Zebulun and
Naphtali and which was a beautiful
and fertile land, but exposed to the
attacks of the enemies across their
border. The Assyrians raided the land,
destroyed it and took as slaves a large
part of the population in 732 B.C. The
land was in deep darkness.
But all of a sudden, the Spirit of
God made the prophet see a brilliant
light shining over the region and an
extraordinary joy filling the hearts
of the people. St. Matthew in today’s
Gospel sees the prophecy of Isaiah
fulfilled when Jesus started his minis-
try in Galilee. Jesus is the light of the
world. The Good News is light.
The first recorded statement of
Jesus is: “Repent, for the Kingdom of
Heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). It was
sin that obliterated the glory of God
from man. For man to be saved, he
needs to turn back to his God in total
repentance. This is why Jesus came.
But for him to do this work he needed
human agents, he needed a church,
a body, who would perpetuate his
message after him in time.
St. Matthew tells us that: “As he
walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw
two brothers, Simon who is called
Peter and Andrew his brother, casting
a net into the sea; for they were fisher-
men. And he said to them, “follow
me, and I will make you fishers of
men.” Immediately they left their nets
and followed him” (Matt. 4:18-20).
It is interesting to note what kind of
men they were. They were not men
of great scholarship, or influence, or
wealth, or social background. They
were not poor, they were simple
working people with no great back-
ground, and certainly, anyone would
have said, with no great future.
It was these ordinary men whom
Jesus chose. Once there came to
Socrates a very ordinary man called
Aeschines, “I am a poor man,” said
Aeschines. “I have nothing else, but
I give you myself.” “Do you not see,”
said Socrates, “that you are giving me
the most precious thing of all?” What
Jesus needs is ordinary folk who will
give him themselves. He can do any-
thing with people like that.
But why did Jesus choose fisher-
men? It has been pointed out by many
scholars that the good fisherman
must possess certain qualities. First,
the very circumstance of a fisherman’s
life and work compels him to live
close to God. A fisherman lives on
providence. Any man who faces the
elemental forces of nature and their
threat is bound to be aware of God.
It is a common saying that there is
no atheist among the sailors. The
very fact that their lives were on the
waters amidst the storms and the
waves, made them aware of God.
Jesus chose to be his men those
for whom God was already a very
present reality. Second, fishermen
were men of courage. A fisherman
must be ready to risk and to face the
fury of the sea and of the gale. The
good preacher and teacher must be
well aware there is always a danger in
telling men the truth, more often than
not takes his reputation and his life in
his hands. Third, the fisherman must
have perseverance. He must learn
never to be discouraged, but always
to try again. The good preacher and
teacher must bot be discouraged
when nothing seems to happen. He
must always be ready to try again.
Fourth, the wise fisherman must keep
himself out of sight. If he obtrudes his
own presence, even his own shadow,
the fish will certainly not bite. The
wise preacher and teacher will always
seek to present men, not with himself,
but with Christ. His aim is to fix men’s
eyes, not on himself, but on the figure
beyond.
Jesus chose his followers with wis-
dom. He chose men who had learned
the lessons of life not in any academy
or universities and seminaries but in
the business of living. He chose men
whom life had already moulded for
his purposes. He chose them first to
be with him, then to be sent out as his
ambassadors in the world.
St. Paul in the second reading in
keeping in touch with the Chris-
tian communities he established
after preaching the Gospel to them
discovered that some divisions or fac-
tions, began to arise in the church of
Corinth since he had left them. Pride
was entering in.
Some were looking down on others,
because it was the great Paul who
instructed and converted them. The
others resisted this, and claimed a
greater superiority, because they had
a more eloquent teacher, Apollos
of Alexandria, while others, again,
began to despise both of these parties,
because they were instructed by the
head of the Apostles, the Rock, Peter.
How silly it may seem to us! What
does it matter who taught them, if
they have learned the truth about
Christ and God’s great love for them?
To St. Paul it did not seem silly, but
very dangerous, because it showed
that human pride, the basic sin, and
the first sin of human nature, was
beginning to revive once again among
them.
It is not necessary here to apportion
blame – St. Paul did not when reprov-
ing the divisions in Corinth – but
what is necessary is that all Christians
should take to heart St. Paul’s remind-
er that it was Christ who died for us
all and that Christ is not and must not
be divided.
Are all Christians called as Peter,
James, Andrew and John were called?
The answer is Yes. Jesus calls in every
age and still continue to call till the
end of time. He calls people as he
encounters them, as he meets then
in the middle of the world. He calls
each of us at baptism and empowers
us to be another Christ in the world.
Do you believe that you are called?
That you are a disciple of Jesus with
whatever he has blessed you with as
a gift? A disciple means a learner. A
Christian is a disciple who is always
learning more and more about Christ
and his ways.
There are enough work for everyone
in the Church. The clergy and cate-
chists are not the only persons called
to work in the Lord’s vineyard. Every
other baptized and confirmed person
is also called.
Whatever you are is a tool in helping
Christ as a disciple to evangelize. Sim-
ply submit your marriage, business,
submit whatever you are to Christ, he
knows how to transform them into
tools for winning souls.
May God grant us the grace to
respond promptly to His call as Peter,
Andrew, James and John did through
Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you
a happy Sunday and a fruitful week
ahead. Rev. Fr. Christian Ehimen
Usifoh.
