When Jesus called his first disciples, he didn’t invite them just to attend his public lectures, but to join him, to live with him, to share meals with him, to pray with him, to teach with him, and to serve the poor with him. To share life with him.
The image above depicts Jesus’ call of the first disciples (Luke 5: 1-10). Look at the faces of Peter (still called Simon then) and James. Look at the intensity in their faces. Jesus had just finished preaching to a crowd, from Simon’s boat and he had instructed them to cast their nets again. Despite being out all night and nothing to show for it, they cast again into the water.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
Over the course of many weeks and months, the disciples absorbed Jesus’s way of living. Imagine spending three years living with Jesus.
If we wish to follow Jesus as disciples, we too will seek to be absorbed into his way of living. Over time we will be transformed — little by little — taking on the character of Christ, imitating his way of life.
Click on the video below and explore with Fr. Ron Will the idea of being absorbed into The Way of the Teacher.
New videos will be posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We’ll send you an email on Thursdays to remind you to watch. You can find all the videos here (after they are posted): Lent Video Series. You can share your thoughts about the video on our Facebook page.
[Fr. Ron Will, a Precious Blood priest and spiritual director, is a graduate of Catholic Theological Union and Creighton University’s School of Christian Spirituality. He has a special interest in helping form intentional disciples of Jesus, encouraging others to go spiritually deep-sea diving to explore a deeper relationship with God, and walking with people as they dive into the ocean of God’s mystery actually experiencing God rather than simply dipping one’s toe into the water.]
An Assembling God’s Puzzle video
By Fr. Garry Richmeier
It seems to be part of our DNA to sort everything in life into two categories — right or wrong, good or bad. Of course, we are always on the “right” side and to demonstrate our “rightness” we demonize the other side and problems ensue. How can we break the cycle?
By Fr. Ron Will, CPPS
I hope that my reflections make you more attentive to the Eucharistic Prayer at the next Mass you attend. When you really listen to the readings and the prayers, the pieces of the puzzle of the Mass come together and you see the incredible vision God has for us.