Where Are You Called to More?

Today we hear the familiar passage about Jesus calling a few of the disciples to be “fishers of men” and we may ask ourselves how Jesus is calling us to more.

In the past I always viewed this passage from the lens of Jesus calling me to a particular vocation or type of service, until I had found the forms of vocation, work, and service that felt right and fitting to me and asked God where to go next. What could this passage mean for a person who's doing everything she feels called to right now?

He then challenged me to “be more” vs. do more.

And so it is, as my life has unfolded, I’ve realized that God calls us to more in three distinct ways:

• Do more of what Christ does. Are there ways we can be more of service to God and our fellow neighbor at home, at work, in our parish, or in the community? Are there ways God is calling us to emulate Jesus by teaching, evangelizing, healing, supporting, encouraging, and caring for those in our midst?
• Be more of who Christ is. Are there ways we can be more Christlike by living a more simple life that is close to God, or by being more kind, patient, trusting, and loving with those around us? Are we being called to endure and accept suffering through a particular cross like Christ did?
• See more of who Christ is. Being a disciple means to watch and follow Christ closely. To follow, we must first see what he does and how he does it. We do that through prayer, reading the Gospels, visiting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and being immersed our faith.

If we answer the call to more in each of these ways, there’s no question that we will not only repent, believe, and turn towards God, but also be fishers of men and bring light to the dark shadow places our own lives and those of others – the calls of today’s Gospel.