Abandon Your Nets
BY AMIRAH OROZCO | January 25, 2021
Sunday’s Readings
About a year since the first coronavirus case was detected in the United States, over 400,000 people have lost their lives. The presence of the vaccine seems to be sustaining our hope that the global pandemic will soon be behind us. Yet, we know that the world will never be the same.
Paul’s wise words in today’s second readings ring in my ear as we enter a new stage in humanity: “For the world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Cor 7:31) Just like Jonah in the first reading, Paul is taking action based on the revelation of God’s will to him. In Mark’s version of the calling of Simon, Andrew, James, and John, the disciples get up and follow Christ after merely being called. They do not speak, saying yes or no, they simply follow. I imagine that, although Mark does not document it, that there was dialogue between Jesus and these men, but what is highlighted are their actions: “They abandoned their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1:18)
As a new American president is inaugurated after some of the most chaotic four years in American history and as we begin to rebuild as a society around a post-coronavirus world, we are called to respond to the call of Jesus. Without denying the tragedy, brokenness, and need for healing, we are given a new opportunity to abandon our old ways and let our hearts be converted by the call of Jesus. We understand better now than before the wounds inflicted by White Supremacy on our country and our global interconnectivity, realizing that economic inequality resulted in the worsening effects of the pandemic.
Just as the dialogue is left out of Mark’s version and what is highlighted is the actions of the disciples so, too, will our actions be highlighted. We have spent months with masks and in increased isolation awaiting the moment when we will be able to act. Let us then abandon our nets and follow Jesus.
Amirah Orozco is currently in the masters of theological studies program at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry with a focus on systematic theology, especially ecclesiology and Hispanic theology. She works in Hispanic ministry training programs at Formación Continua at the STM. She is originally from the border between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
We are called to be disciples in so many ways. God has such a great love for us that He offers to all of us – Come follow me. As the meditation states, each one of us is asked to be with Him. This outpouring of love comes from the love God has for us. We will eventually remove our masks and start anew. What will God ask of us in this new time? How did the physical distancing we did for almost a year enlighten us to the goodness of God? How can we transform each other and the society in which we live? How can we make the love of God more evident to all? It is time to meditate and fill our hearts with the new more inclusive, more diverse ways of being in the world. Just as Mark tells us when the disciples were called and left their nets and followed Him. We will take off our masks and follow Him.
Unfortunately when we recover from the virus we will eventually fall back in to old habits and won’t learn from it. All those people that worked hard to look after the sick and other essential workers that helped to maintain at least a fraction of normality will be forgotten because of our selfishness.
Today the current generation only follow things which are popular and don’t want use there own mind this includes movements and fake ideology but also making certain words to be more normalized like ” Privilege ” & ” White Supremacy ” has someone that is not white this insults my white friends, white colleagues, white students and white neighbors.
We are equal in everything stop promoting a agenda that promotes a divisive ideology, white people work hard to make something of there live and a skin tone does not give a boost in anything.
It’s all about the choices we make to achieve something not the color of skin and stop with the white hate because that is exactly what it is. Has for the Government the white supremacy tag is getting old even with Obama nothing changed.
This generation isn’t aspiring but destructive and will cause more harm than good and future generations will suffer the burden.
Jesus will accept anyone to follow him even if you think you don’t deserve to, and he won’t divide us either just like our current religion is doing.
It takes courage to answer a call.