ROM. 10:9-18/ PS. 19:2-3,4-5. MATTHEW 4:18-22
Jesus says to Peter and Andrew “follow me” the same way he said to the Levi “follow me” to John and James “Follow me”. To follow him means to imitate him. Andrew means “manly” or “courageously” so it can be said that he courageously followed Jesus. To courageously follow Jesus is a call to discipleship; the way of discipleship is the way of the cross. Discipleship without the cross is a wrong ship – a wrong ship will not get to the right destination. Jesus says this in Lk.14: 25–27 “…Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”. Who is a disciple? The New Ratio no. 61 says a “disciple is one whom the Lord has called to stay with him, to follow him, and to become a missionary of the Gospel”. As disciples, let us stay with him and follow him.
Today we have become too obsessed with leadership and not follower-ship. Thus all we hear is leadership conference and not followership conference. A good leader was once led. We need to be good followers to become good leaders. If we follow then we shall not wallow; many Christians are wallowing about because they have not decided to follow Jesus; rather they follow pastors. If we follow Jesus we shall get to heaven but when we follow pastors their fate shall be our fate. Matthew followed him and made a feast and so if we follow him we shall glow and not groan. Andrew followed him and today he is celebrated as saint, if we follow him we shall be numbered among the saints. Andrew followed him and became fisher of men. If we follow Jesus we shall become fishers of men. To be fishers of men is to be missionaries that is, those who preach the gospel which the first reading talked about. St Andrew whose feast we celebrate today followed Christ ardently and became a missionary for him, he was martyred on an X-shaped cross for what he believed and today he is numbered among the saints we pray that through his intercession we shall become true followers of Jesus Christ and be numbered among the saints. Amen.
Give us the grace to follow..
