January 22, 2017
I don’t know in what kind of Catholic community you grew up in. Where I grew up, in the most southern part of Bavaria, today’s gospel was the gospel about Jesus’ call of the first apostles, but it was also the gospel about Jesus’ call to his first four priests. And now, with some decades of distance, it is clear to me that nothing could be further from the theology that Matthew is trying to convey in his gospel. When Matthew composed his gospel – in the mid to late 70s of the first century – the priesthood as we know it today simply didn’t exist. All gospel “calls” by Jesus are simply calls to be a Christian, to be a friend of Jesus, calls to imitate him, to be aware the we are sons and daughters of God, that we are brothers and sisters. These calls certainly are not addressed to a specific group of people who exercise one particular ministry in the community. On the contrary, these calls are addressed to every reader of the gospels. That's why it is essential to look carefully at each element of today's call in the gospel. Because it is also addressed to us! First, these initial disciples are called to follow a person, not an institution. They are not called to follow an institution with particular sets of rules or regulations or even some philosophic or theological concepts. And these initial disciples have no idea where this person Jesus is leading them. They are just to “come after” him, wherever and whatever that entails. All they know is that people, not fish, will now be the most important element in their lives. There is no delay, no looking back. They immediately leave their boats, nets, even their father, a nd “follow him.” Jesus’ call marks a new beginning of their lives. Their response to Jesus’ call is the concrete “repentance” he demands of all his followers: a total change of their value systems. A total change of their value systems – strong words… What I mean is that they open themselves for God working effectively in their lives - around them and among them. Or in a different expression: they will eventually experience the “kingdom of heaven” in their lives by opening themselves to God’s presence and God’s working in their lives. One way to experience God is to make people, not things, the focus of our lives. This is what Jesus teaches his friends, his followers. Not a call to priesthood, but a call to openness is what Matthew describes. To come back to the beginning of this homily: Matthew did not want to show Jesus calling the first priests, he wanted to show Jesus calling his first friends, his first followers, the first Christians. We, like Jesus' first four disciples, are called to make people the focus of our lives, not things or laws or institutions. And this call is still addressed to us – every day, time and again. cf https://www.dignityusa.org/bots/january-22nd-2017-third-sunday-year
Fr Wolfgang Felber, SJ