Florida Catholic | Sunday Word

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

It takes a team to win the Super Bowl of faith

January 27, 2008 :: Is 8:23-9:3; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23

FATHER DAVID SCOTCHIE

Two weeks ago, we celebrated the solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord. Baptism begins our calling to serve God. Last week, Paul wrote, “You are called to be holy” (1 Cor 1:2). Now Jesus gets specific. He calls to Simon and Andrew, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:20).

Notice what Jesus did not do. Jesus did not make a pulpit announcement, “We really need some apostles. If you are interested in volunteering, please see me.” No, Jesus called Simon and Andrew, “Come after me.”

We’re comfortable with volunteering. When you volunteer, you decide whether you have the time or not. You decide how much to get involved. You are always free to say, “Look, my situation has changed, I need to step down.” Volunteering is on your terms.

With the Lord, though, it is on his terms. And one of the first terms of discipleship is to leave what we’re comfortable with. Simon and Andrew, James and John had to leave their nets and their livelihood. They had to leave their security. They were, however, not completely at sea. Being fishermen, they had some talent to be “fishers of men.” All the same, their call to follow Jesus was not on their terms.

We pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” We sincerely seek to know God’s will and to do it. We really want to follow the Lord completely. A term of discipleship, though, is to be able to pray, “My kingdom go.” We have to be willing to leave whatever holds us back from following the Lord.

In letting go, though, we gain more. We become part of his church. Jesus called the disciples two by two and into community. They were not “lone rangers” sent to save the world. Their first call was to be part of a community, which we know as the Twelve Apostles.

Our first and most important community is our family. It is not something we join by choice. Whether we like it or not, we are born into a particular family. In the family, we learn that we are called out of ourselves and part of something larger than ourselves. (Children with more toys than God may find this hard to accept.)

No matter what you might think about football or the Super Bowl, the fundamental player of the game is the team. To make it to the Super Bowl, dozens of individual players had to practice and make sacrifices to become one team.

Just as it is not possible to play in the Super Bowl without being part of a team, it’s not possible to follow Jesus alone. Jesus called Simon and Andrew, James and John together. The perseverance to prevail comes from a group committed to one another and to the better thing. Groups from platoons to political action committees find their strength in one another, united in their common cause.

Finally, we are called to the Lord’s Supper. At the Mass we are called to overcome sin and death with Communion, a community living Christ’s death and resurrection. “Happy are those who are called to his supper.”

To take to prayer: Enjoy some quiet time with the Lord. Ask the Lord what he wants you to leave behind.

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