“He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.”
There’s a quote attributed to St. Teresa of Calcutta that says, “we are not called to be successful, but faithful.” This simple line goes straight to the heart of the episode recounted in the Gospel today. It’s unknown to us what the precise mental, spiritual, or emotional conditions were for any of Jesus’ apostles when they encountered him. What we do know, however, is that each one of these men ultimately elected to reprioritize the entirety of their lives such that the most important and governing principle of each day for the rest of their lives was following Christ.
In many ways, this passage might seem radical or revolutionary…and it’s supposed to be. Each and every one of us are individually called to follow Christ, and we can’t truly follow him without radically restructuring our priorities. It’s important at this juncture to clearly assert that Jesus calls us to service in distinctly unique ways through different vocations, but it’s also critical to assert that, just like the apostles, we are called. How do we respond to the moments in our lives when our Lord calls us? Are we free to answer? Or are there aspects of our lives that prevent us from responding as fully and generously as we would like? How can we work during this Lenten season to more faithfully live into our identity as disciples of Christ?