I’m sure many of us remember a time we clearly heard God’s call; how did you react? Were you quick to follow? Or was there hesitation, delay, or doubt? Our readings this week have many examples of people hearing the call of the Lord and immediately acting upon it. Mark’s account of the call of the first disciples shows what it looks like to not only respond to God’s call, but to trust in it.

Simon, Andrew, James, and John were all likely fishermen for most of their lives; perhaps, at a young age, they were not deemed intelligent enough to study with a Rabbi, so they’ve picked up a trade and consigned themselves to live and die as fishermen. An honest living for sure, but nothing remarkable. You could imagine their surprise when Jesus, known to them only as a preacher who taught like a learned Rabbi, asked them to follow HIM! Perhaps they had initial thoughts like: “I’m not smart enough to learn from a Rabbi!” or “I can’t abandon fishing or my father, I could be put in danger or lose everything!” Whatever their initial thoughts were, they didn’t dwell on them very long, for in a moment, they surrendered everything they thought they knew about themselves and everything that kept their lives secure thus far (including their jobs, as shown in how they “abandoned their nets”). Though they couldn’t have known what a life with Jesus was like at the time, they trusted that Jesus would take care of them, and that was enough for them to act on Jesus’ call to them.

Let us pray for great trust in God’s love and promises as these disciples had so that we can boldly act on God’s call in faith!