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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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One summer while studying for the priesthood, I spent a month volunteering at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. Little did I realize I’d be taking my future parish on multiple pilgrimages there!
I remember one morning watching an elderly blind priest shuffle in to celebrate Mass. He was holding onto the arm of a young man, who guided him slowly to the altar.
As the priest bent over to kiss the altar, I wondered, “Now, how is he going to celebrate Mass? He can’t see!”
After being guided to his chair, he 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,” the priest said.
Then it hit me…this young man who escorted the priest in for Mass must’ve recorded all of the prayers ahead of time, so that the priest could listen to his voice, then repeat what he heard.
It was a marvelous bond on multiple levels, reminding me of two things we find growing in today’s Gospel: friendship and the transmission of faith.
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Today Jesus calls four of his first disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
Three of them – Peter, James, and John – will later form Christ’s inner circle. They’ll be the ones chosen to witness him in his transfigured glory on Mount Tabor. They’ll also be the ones asked to accompany him in his agony, as he sweats blood privately in Gethsemane.
Meanwhile, Andrew will introduce more people to Jesus than any other disciple in the Gospels.
Together, these four men become the first friends and disciples of Jesus in his public ministry.
They remind me of that young man who escorted the blind priest into Mass in Fatima. In both cases, faith and friendship were being formed and handed on. They were intertwined, as true faith yields lasting friendship.
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Do I have that kind of friend, whose either inspired my faith, or one whom I can hand my faith onto?
As we start yet another year, perhaps this might become a New Year’s Resolution – not only to grow in faith, but also to share it with a friend.
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Image credits: (1) Steubenville, X (2) My Catholic Life! (3) NPR