Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
As an engineer, one of my favorite places on the planet was my office. For years, it was the home of many work-related victories, personal triumphs, epiphanies, and breakthroughs, as well as a setting of stress, occasional discouragement, and numerous late nights. That space was not just my office- it was my cafeteria when I ate, my study when I worked on my Masters, and my chapel when I prayed. Many good days and many bad days were lived in my chair, pencil in hand, coffee by my side, at my large desk which I was always secretly so proud of. My diplomas graced the top of my tallest bookshelf, above textbooks, journals, and project files too numerous to count. Truly, it was good. But of all the items in my office, the most memorable was a small, yellow post-it note that I kept above my computer. On it, the following words were handwritten in green ink: "At once they left their nets and followed Him."
That post-it note was a steadfast witness of my personal discipleship as an engineer. I remember staring at those words often in both times of discouragement and times of success. And I knew that no matter how much I loved my job (or hated it some days), if God called me to surrender it, I would- leaving behind my desk, my projects, my textbooks, my title, the nice initials at the end of my name, and my diplomas. Eventually, a day came when God did in fact call me to a new vocation- fatherhood and the opportunity to be a stay-at-home dad for my son. Today, November 30th, is the feast day of my son's patron, St. Andrew- the first disciple called and a man who, as we read in today's Gospel, left his nets with reckless abandon to follow the Lord.
"At once they left their nets and followed Him" (Matthew 4:20). How do we know when we are called? How do we respond when we are called? And what are we being called to? These are the three questions that I asked myself as I read today's Mass readings. For the first question, I have no easy answer and it remains a question that I am personally still asking as I conclude this reflection. But this much is certain: the invitation will be unmistakable. Regarding the second question, today's Gospel offers some powerful insights into how we are to respond to the call of Christ- with urgency, with immediacy, with abandonment, and with confident faith in the Lord. Admittedly, this is very challenging and possibly a cause of great fear. In the face of this fear, we remind ourselves of words taken from today's first reading: No one who believes in Him will be put to shame (Romans 10:11).
Finally, what are we being called to? Although we have each been called by the Lord to unique and personal vocations, Pope Francis in his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, offers us numerous responsibilities to which we have all been called. Quoting from Pope Francis throughout the document, we are: "called to take part in this new missionary 'going forth'" - the Church's mission of evangelization (20); "called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open" (47); "called to grow" (69); "called to be at the service of a difficult dialogue" (74); "called to radiate light and communicate life" (83); "called to offer others an explicit witness to the saving love of the Lord" (121); "called to hear the cry of the poor" (209); and "called to watch over and protect the fragile world in which we live, and all its peoples" (219).
With Pope Francis' words in mind, we have been called to think like Jesus, talk like Jesus, act like Jesus, and also to be sent like Jesus (John 20:21). In a great paradox of faith, we have been called so that we may be sent- to preach, so that others may hear, so that others may believe, so that others may call on Him, as we have been called. Brothers and sisters, we have indeed been called! Today, may we respond to the continual call of discipleship, regardless of what we may be leaving behind, and practice ongoing openness to the will of God in our lives. Amen
Ryan J. Mahle