WORD ALIVE
Fr. Bel San Luis
Three classmates in high school met in a class reunion. “In our town,” said the first, “people call me ‘Monsignor’ because I am a lay minister.”
The second bragged: “Well, I’m a charismatic elder. I give spiritual talks so everybody calls me ‘Cardinal’.”
Unimpressed, the third said: “I’m higher than you two. I’m a sales representative, going from house to house, but I serve as collector at Mass. Many call me ‘God.’”
“What, God? How come!” his friends asked. “You see, when I knock at the doors of my customers and they see me,” the sales rep said, they exclaim, “My God, my God, you again!”
The gospel of this third Sunday relates about Jesus calling his first apostles – a band of simple fishermen. “They left everything” – their work, their boats, their families – and followed him (Lk 5,11). This formed the core group on which Christ founded his Church.
Unfortunately, many have the idea that the call of Christ is addressed only to the apostles and their successors, the priests, bishops and popes.
That's not true. Every Christian is commissioned to the ministry of healing, preaching and teaching by virtue of his or her baptism. Those professionals in the above funny story flaunted their apostolic work – but should avoid using ecclesiastical titles.
The Decree on the Laity of Vatican II states: “Incorporated into Christ’s Mystical Body through baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through confirmation, the laity are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord himself” (3).
How can you be an apostle of Christ or “fisher of men?” You could participate in church works in your parish. Today there are numerous lay Catholics who sacrifice time, talent and treasure for the church, rendering services as lay ministers, lectors, collectors, choir members, catechists, social workers.
There are also those involved in church organizations like the Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s League as well as the renewal movements like the Marriage Encounter, Couples for Christ, El Shaddai.
The most basic and effective form of being a fisher of people is the testimony of Christian living or witnessing to such gospel values as charity, compassion, justice, forgiveness, honesty, peace.
In his encyclical “Redemptoris Missio” the late Pope St. John Paul II said: “People today put more trust in witnesses than in teachers and preachers. The witness of a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form of evangelization.”
The world renowned British TV journalist Malcolm Muggeridge was a celebrity who did not care much about God and religion. He did something he swore he would never do — become a Catholic.
What led to his conversion? He had an assignment to write about the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Travelling to India, Muggeridge thought the trip was just the usual work but the amazing thing was, in the course of his talks and days of observation of the kindly nun, he experienced a change of heart.
Muggeridge said: “Words cannot express how much I owe her. She showed me Christianity in action.” His dramatic conversion was written in his book entitled, “Something Beautiful for God.”
Ask yourself: Would lukewarm and non-Catholics be so edified by your way of life as to want to become Catholics or active members? As a good Christian what are you doing to respond to Christ’s call to be a “fisher of people”?
Laity’s apostolate. Seminarians are very important in the Church, especially in having more “fishers of people.” Without them, we cannot have priests, missionaries, bishops and popes.
As part of the laity’s apostolate, please help our seminarians. Donate any amount for their schooling or sponsor a one-year schooling.
For inquiry, e-mail me at: [email protected].