Encounter Jesus, Be Disciples

7/28/2017

Dear Faith Family,

I hope that you are all having a wonderful summer!

I hold this Sunday’s reading at such a high regard in my life.

There are a lot of passages in scripture that mention fish. (We have been called to be fishers of men, Jesus multiplies fish, etc.) It’s obvious that the symbol of fish is quite a common one in scripture. But this Sunday’s Gospel especially impacts me.

The language of separating the good and the bad fish is something to ponder, for sure. Sure, it can be quite dreary to think of those “fish” that are thrown away and it’s no secret that we believe that there is a heaven and a hell. Every Catholic understands this notion and it is quite important. But when I read this passage, it also helps me to understand what God is calling us to do.

As we know, our parish mission is “Encounter Jesus, Be Disciples,” and as I’ve said before, the most important part of being a disciple is to share your encounter with Jesus with others to bring them to their own personal encounter. Sometimes though, I feel that we are afraid of being disciples to the “bad fish” of the sea.

To be disciples, we must be ready to encounter those that we may be afraid to encounter. To be the best disciples that Christ calls us to be, we must make sure that we are not only inviting those we are comfortable with, but we must make sure that we are investing time to invite anyone we encounter, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

Let it be known that our spiritual life should not be driven by fear, but rather, beauty. At the end of this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus asks his disciples if they understand what he has just spoken about, and they said yes. Jesus didn’t simply say “good job!” or, “I’m glad to hear that you understand,” but rather, because they understood, he explained to them that they are commissioned to bring the new and the old to share the glory of paradise. This is our commission; this is our accepted role of discipleship.

God Bless,
Brett Becker
Youth and Young Adult Minister
July 30, 2017

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