Follow Me

First Reading: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5

R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

NAB

You. Yes, you. Not the girl beside you. Not someone you think might be behind you. You. To you, Jesus says, Follow me. He's calling you.

In today's Gospel we hear of the brief and simple account of the call of Saint Matthew. Jesus is passing by. Saint Matthew is sitting at the post. Jesus says Follow me. He gets up and follows Jesus. The discipleship begins.

This was Saint Matthew's story. Your story is probably much different. But the call remains, as well as the reminder to recognize God's personal invitation in your life. How has Jesus called you? How is He calling you even now to continue to follow Him today?

Maybe you have been waiting for Jesus to call you. Maybe some of you would like to know and be certain of your vocation, the calling that God desires for you. Maybe some of you are wondering when that perfect guy will show up and you will finally be called to marriage. Maybe some of you are thinking about religious life. Maybe some of you are afraid of God's call. And for others, maybe you are overwhelmed with the daily demands of your vocation or current state in life—the meltdowns from young children, continued annoyances with your spouse, the loneliness or uncertainty of single life, financial pressures, exhaustion from work, health concerns, lack of time to take care of yourself or find time for prayer, the curveballs of life that you didn't know would happen, and all the things that you didn't sign up for when you first said "yes" to Jesus while He was passing by . . . .

Or maybe you are just feeling like Jesus has passed you right by and forgotten to even give you a call . . . .

Whoever you are (Saint Matthew was a tax collector and sinner, and Jesus wanted him, remember!), wherever you are, whatever is going on in your life right now, to you, Jesus says, "Follow me."

How will you respond today?

Wherever you are, whatever is going on in your life right now, to you, Jesus says, Click to tweet

Saint Matthew, inspired by the example of your discipleship, intercede for me this day to hear and recognize the ways in which Jesus is calling me to follow Him. By the intercession of your prayers, help me to persevere in journeying with Christ along the path of holiness, living in a manner worthy of the call I have received and using my gifts for the glory of God. In Jesus' name. Amen.

photo credit

Mary Catherine Craige is a lover of creativity and learning new things. When she is not guiding the development of young children through Montessori methods, you can find her behind her harp, taking an art class, or writing little poems. You can find out more about her here.