January 25, 2009

"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." --- Margaret Mead

Mark is quick and to the point. His is the first gospel to be written down, and he is in a hurry to write down the stories of Jesus before they would be forgotten. He is making a point when he says that Andrew, Simon, James and John immediately followed Jesus when he said, "Follow me." The first disciples probably knew Jesus and had been thinking about what he was teaching.

Fishing was their families' livelihood, and they would not leave without a good reason. (In something I read many years ago, there is the scene in this story where James and John are telling their mother they are leaving home to go with Jesus. She tells them to get back to the boats where they belong!) Mark's point is that we are to be willing to follow Jesus' call no matter where it may lead and what vocation we have. Jesus' mission is what will make a difference in the world. Wherever we are, we can be the good news that people need to hear-- that God loves them and wants only what is best for them.

This week we celebrate a giant step in our country's history. Our forefathers declared that all men are created equal, and we are finally seeing actions that agree with what we say we believe. Jesus is an evolutionary step forward in the development of humankind. He called his first disciples to take his mission to the world -- to tell them God is Love, and in God's eyes all people are equal, no longer Jew/Greek, slave/free, male/female. This mission is still going on, and we are all called by Jesus to continue to carry it forward.