They left their fishing immediately and followed Him

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Dear John, 

Peace and God’s blessing!

 I am writing to you to ask for your prayers and to assure you that I have you in my prayers continually; after all, everyone who seeks the path God has traced for him merits the little help that I and my missionary family, the Xaverians, can give. I was thinking this past weekend of the Gospel message communicated at Sunday mass. Jesus is baptized, goes and returns from a long stint in the desert (where He decided upon His way to complete his mission as our Savior) and the first thing He does is call Peter and Andrew, and then James and John, to be His apostles. Peter and Andrew were fishing when Jesus called them to be “fishers of men” and they left their fishing immediately and followed Him. James and his brother John were mending their fishing nets, together with their father, when Jesus called them to follow Him and they also immediately left their father and what they were doing and followed Him. Later on in the Gospel we see Levi (Matthew) immediately answering Jesus’ invitation to join Him. It was as though they felt that it was either now or never. Perhaps Jesus felt the same thing. It’s interesting to note that in the Gospels there are two cases in which Jesus extends the invitation to follow Him and in both instances there are doubts and hesitation: the two persons involved hesitated, did not accept the divine invitation to be part of Jesus’ inner circle and that, without a doubt, was the worst decision that they ever made.

Have we lost our ability to venture out or are we now ships tied to port, which is not the reason why a ship is built? Have we lost our youthful enthusiasm to take risks, be an adventurer in search of a treasure?

I wonder how often that has happened throughout the centuries and especially in these days here in the USA. Have we lost our ability to venture out or are we now ships tied to port, which is not the reason why a ship is built? Have we lost our youthful enthusiasm to take risks, be an adventurer in search of a treasure? Right now there are approximately five young men who are considering joining our religious – missionary family. Pray for them please so that they may have the courage to say decisively “this is (or is not) for me.” It’s terrible to let your future continue to dangle before your eyes because we want a clear sign, we want certainty. 

With God there is no negotiation: He wants a clear and immediate “yes” to his promptings through grace and He reminds us that “many are called but few are chosen” although all who answer His call are winners. He wants who He wants in His inner circle, but He also wants us to be responsible (= able to give a response). These young men for whom I ask you to pray must overcome, each one, obstacles to begin the paperwork now that will permit them to begin their journey with us in and to Christ, the Missionary of the Father, this coming academic year. They will attend one of the local universities or one of two religious houses of study to complete their studies or to meet requirements (for future theological studies) of 24 credit hours of philosophy and 6 credit hours of pre-theology. Please pray for them and for all missionaries for as the old Greek prayed centuries ago to his pagan gods, “the sea is so big and my boat is so small;” that is, there are so many people waiting to hear the message of Jesus and so few of us to communicate it.

In and with the love of Our Lord, our model of life and our true leader, I am

Fr. Adolph Menendez
Xaverian Missionary