Fishers of Men

Today's Scripture

Anyone who has ever had the duty of getting volunteers for a church or community event has to be in awe of Jesus in today's Gospel. He asks, they come. Done.

Jesus doesn't even give them a clear description of what it is they will be doing, where they will do it, or for how long. And it is an interesting proposition that He makes to them: I will make you 'fishers of men'. At our parish fish fry during Lent, I spend time each week greeting people and visiting with them at the tables and I wear a nametag. Instead of writing 'Director of Evangelization' on the tag under my name, I write Fisher of Men. It's a catchy connection to the 'fish fry' and many people will comment on it. One lovely lady said 'only a fisher of men?' and I explained that if I walked around with a name tag that said 'fisher of women', I could get in a lot of trouble.

Now, having been a fisher of men (and yes, women) for nearly 10 years now, I have pondered a great deal what it means and two things have become very clear to me. The first is that, if like Peter just prior to this calling, we are going to rely on our human skill and just work hard at it, we will often stare at empty nets. Jesus is the ultimate source of attraction. Our imitation of Him, however feeble it might be, is essential. Our gentle way of approaching people, our heartfelt concern for what concerns them, our entering into their difficulty with them - all sourced from Jesus. As Peter learns, though, the more we completely desire to be Christian (of Christ, like Christ) the more people are drawn. Peter peaks at about 5,000 converts in a day.

One caution about that last line: It is Jesus that peaks through Peter at 5,000 per day. That is the second important realization: only Jesus converts hearts through the movement of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is in loving relationship with the Father at all times and the love that flows between them is the Holy Spirit. When our hearts are truly converted, we allow this love to flow through us and back to the Lord. No matter how talented I am, I can't do that for someone. But, in my living out of my Christian identity, I can help create the conditions where this can happen.

By being patient, kind, not envious, not boastful or proud, not rude, self-seeking or easily angered, I can encourage a heart to be open. I can invite someone to be vulnerable and open to what Jesus might say to their heart. This my friends, is the work of fishing, and like Hannah in the first reading, we should long to bring spiritual children into the world through Him and for Him.

God has brought me through many experiences that help me in doing what I do today, but as St. Paul says - without love - it means nothing. Be Love, Be Christian, Be a Fisher of Men (and women).