"The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel…. Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." (From today’s Gospel reading, Mk. 1: 14-20). This call is addressed to all – whatever is your institutional religion, race, culture, or status in society. The universal, interfaith Christ invites us to own and share the Creator’s one and only law of Love.
The first four disciples who were fishermen literally abandoned their nets and followed him. What about us? What does it mean for us to abandon our nets and to follow him? What does this mean for a husband-and-father, a wife-and-mother, a son or daughter, a farmer or fisherman, an employee or an employer, a private citizen or a public leader – all the way to the Presidency of our country?
Abandoning one’s nets means no less than a radical conversion of heart, a turning away from one’s patterns of sinfulness, which are self-serving, manipulative, and evil – toward a renewed life of deep love, which is other-centered, and therefore God-centered. A radical paradigm-shift.
Romy (not his real name), is married and has three children. He is basically a good provider, but on the side, he had been having an extramarital affair for years, unknown to his wife and children. The emotional gap in communication and intimacy between himself and his family widened dramatically. He knew in his mind that what he was doing was downright immoral, but he rationalized it by convincing himself that he was genuinely in love with both his wife and the other woman, so how can you go wrong with love! Until a friend innocently invited him to a weekend retreat, and there it happened. The centerpoint of the weekend was the very Gospel incident for today: "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel…. Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Romy’s heart was touched to the core, and he was never the same again. Not only has he become a most faithful and loving husband and father. He is the leader of a very active self-help program for the poor in their parish.
Pete (not his real name either) was general manager of a medium-sized factory with 50 employees under him. He became aware that most of the employees were underpaid, and had hardly any benefits. His social conscience disturbed him, so he decided to do something about it, at the risk of his own life. The family that owned the company were heartless and self-serving, with hardly any concern for the human welfare of their employees, let alone their family living wage, according to the law. Pete courageously organized the employees into a labor union, all the way to a strike. And during a heated confrontation between the striking employees and the company security guards, Pete mediated, and was fatally wounded. He later passed away at a nearby hospital. Without the least hesitation, Pete gave his life for love of his fellowmen.
On the wider, national level, as I have expressed in this column time and time again, God’s call to us is to let go of our inordinate attachments and follow him in being "fishers of men." Persons are more important than possessions. A family living wage for the poor and jobs for the jobless. More benefits for the ordinary workers, and a greater share of profits for our poor farmers and fishermen. All this out of a compassionate concern for the human life and dignity of our underprivileged families. This will definitely mean a dramatic lessening of profits for our capitalists and landowners, and a more equitable distribution of God’s resources.
Christ’s imperative for social justice is insistently addressed to our top political and economic leaders – the holders of money and power. Are you listening to his call? Are you ready to abandon your nets and be his followers?