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Gospel: Mark 1: 14-20
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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A few years ago, I spent the summer volunteering at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.
One morning I noticed an old blind priest shuffling in to celebrate Mass. Holding onto the arm of a young man, he bent over to kiss the altar.
“Now, how is he going to celebrate Mass?” I wondered. “He’s blind!”
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After being guided to his chair, the priest was handed a set of headphones and a tape player.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Then it hit me…the young man who escorted him in for Mass recorded all of the prayers ahead of time, so that the priest could listen to his voice and then repeat what he heard.
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That bond between the elderly priest and the young man reminded me of two things we find in today’s Gospel: the desire for friendship and the invitation to hand on our faith.
Like us, Jesus wanted friends to share his journey with, and he needed witnesses to hand on their faith in him, which is why he calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
They will continue the good work that he begins.
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In that sense, faith and friendship are connected. Like that young man learning from a blind priest, we learn about Jesus from others.
Then we’re invited to hand on that faith.
So, who might I share my faith with today?
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Image credits: (1) WomenLivingWell.org (2) Duccio di Buoninsegna, The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew (3) Pravmir.com