30/11/2021

The meeting by the shores of Sea of Galilee. The called are just minding their own business, mending their nets. It is as if we were working on our cars and a complete stranger, a passerby, said those words to us "Come follow me and I will make you mechanics of souls". How quickly did Andrew and his brother and the other soon to be Apostles understand what they had done in their response. God is perfect freedom without any constraints and in his freedoom he only does what is good. Our human freedom was created by God to enable us to willingly chose what is good and right to do.

The first Apostles were chosen by Jesus and were thus given grace to choose the right path. They were not forced into their choice and in the same way as Mary had been given the freedom to respond "Let it be", they to could have refused. We too centuries later are also give the freedom to respond in the same freedom to the same call from eternity.

St Paul, writing thirty or forty years after the event that unfolded out of that "Let it be" and the meeting on the shore has no doubts that the belief in our hearts and the Word on our lips will bring us to salvation. God's Mercy is for all mankind but we have to opt for that in the freedom that God has given to us. 

Dear Lord let all your people, clergy and sheep, acknowledge the greatness of your Glory and the Witness of your Son so that the Holy Spirit will support us in the choice we make in our created freedom to know, love and serve you in this world.