In the Gospel of St. Luke, we see how the crowds are pressing upon Jesus to hear the word of God when He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He stepped into the boat that was Simon’s and preached to the crowds on the shore. Afterward, we read about a great catch of fish. Simon, as well as James and John, were all amazed. But Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
This is Luke’s version of the calling of the first apostles. In the Gospel of John, it is told differently. The first apostles of Jesus are originally disciples of John the Baptist. Then, to the young Philip, Jesus simply says, “follow me” (Jn 1:43), and Philip goes. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that on another occasion, Jesus sees the tax collector, Matthew, and addresses him in the same words, “Follow me” (Mt 9:9), and Matthew rises and follows Him.
My dear family, the same Jesus, the same Lord, continues to walk among us through time, choosing His disciples, His priests: “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you …” (Jn 15:16).
He chooses those He seeks; He takes them from all walks of life. If Jesus sought the perfect and the flawless, we would have no priests today. Jesus has never sought the perfect because they do not exist. Jesus, who called the imperfect men, the Apostles, from their fishing boats, also went on to call St. Gregory and St. Basil from the schools of Athens, St. Jerome from the midst of Roman splendor, St. Augustine in tears of penance, and St. Vincent de Paul from a farm.
He is hard at work calling still more men to follow. Men such as Deacon Carlos De La Rosa from the pews of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Williams Drive; Deacon Charles Silvas from the pews of St. Joseph on 19th Street; Raymond Pendleton from the pews of Santa Rosa de Lima from the little town of Benavides; as well as Thomas Swierc from the pews of St. Thomas Aquinas in College Station. He called them from public and private schools, large families, and small families.
These four men are approaching the blessedness of Holy Orders this June. What a tremendous and joyous gift we receive from God. He singles out these young men from different walks of life, places His divine hand upon them, and says, “Come and follow Me!” And they did.
What a gift from their families who encourage the gift of a son to “Go and follow Him.” The question for all of us is. “Do we encourage such a gift of a young man to accept Jesus’ invitation to “Come and follow Me?”
In a world and in a time when to follow Jesus in such a way is often discouraged, we, my dear family, must be firmly rooted in encouraging more and more young men to hear and accept Jesus’ invitation to follow Him.
We should never stand in the way or be the cause for the one Jesus calls not to follow Him, but instead, we should be the voice that with Jesus prays, this man will listen and respond, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Sm 3:9).
We need more young men to respond and follow Jesus as He stands at the Bay of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, ready to share Himself with them through those He will ordain to be His Presence. Jesus still walks in our midst, today, calling young men from the very pews you sit in every Sunday.
He calls them from the domestic Church he has entrusted to you. It is from the sanctuary of your homes where encouragement begins for these men to be open and willing to follow our Lord as He will lead them to the Church, to lay down their lives for the many.
Praise be to God for Deacon Carlos De La Rosa and Deacon Charles Silvas, who will become our newly ordained priests on June 18. Praise be to God that Raymond Pendleton and Thomas Swierc will be ordained transitional deacons on June 29. Praise be to God for their response, “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.”
And praise be to God that you will encourage your sons, brothers, and friends to be the next to hear from you, “Do not be afraid. Go and follow Him.”