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“As he passed by, he saw Levi sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me.'” (Mark 2:13)
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The Greeks have two different understandings of time: there’s chronos and kairos.
Chronos is the type of time we’re all familiar with. It counts days and hours like tick tock on a clock.
Kairos means something different. It’s a decisive moment, one that changes the course of a person’s history.
Think of the moment a young man kneels down to propose to his girlfriend. That’s a different type of time; it’s a decisive moment.
Regardless of her answer, his life will change.
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Think of the Gospel like a kairos moment.
Jesus passes by Levi, inviting him to become his disciple.
It’s a decisive moment, one that demands courage and sacrifice.
Thankfully, Levi leaves everything behind – his job, his home, his life – and becomes the Apostle Matthew.
That day his life – and even ours – changed. Because of him we have Matthew’s Gospel.
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Perhaps one of us is on the verge of a kairos moment:
Becoming sober for the first time; making a faith-based career change; ending a relationship that only brings us down; turning to faith in the face of grief.
Like Matthew, let’s pray we make the right decision, choosing to follow Jesus.