LENT WEEK 4: DAY 23
Come follow me is a beautiful invitation from Jesus given to each and every one of us. I want to start by telling you that there is a difference between following someone and walking with them. This difference is very important. As we begin this new week, we want to open our hearts to the call of God and answer him appropriately.
The question I want you to ask yourself as we start today is where do I find myself? What is the invitation I have received and what have I done with it? Every one of us has received a call and we all in our own different ways have answered it. Some by coming and others by denying. It all starts by listening to the voice of the master and following him, so that, we can receive from him the life and knowledge we are called to give others (John 10:27-28). The call to follow Jesus is a call to join his team and learn from him (Matthew 11:28-30). Following Jesus is not just a call to become a sheep but a call to learn from the shepherd and take his burden upon us. It is a call to become fishers of men (Matthew 4:19), to help populate the kingdom of God, to seek and search that which is lost (Luke 19:10). The aim of the call is to be trained and prepared to be sent out to seek the lost sheep and return them to the flock (Matthew 10:5-7). It is also a call to feed the sheep and take care of them for the master (John 21:15-16). Jesus gave Peter the instruction about the work to be done and about what it entailed and even his death before giving him the injunction to follow him (John 21:17-19). This means that, even when you go out there and carry out the work given to you, you still have to remember that you are called to follow. When you have been formed and prepared, the Lord then assigns you to a particular mission attached to your call. When Jesus called Matthew who was sitting behind the tax table, he in turn brought in many lost sheep found in the tax collector line (Matthew 9:9-10). This is the aim of the call, learning from the master and leading to him those who fall in the same line as what we used to be. This is true of the call of Moses who was called from behind the sheep, built up, and sent back to the place where the suffering sheep of God were found (Exodus 3:10). Each time there is a call, there is a purpose that’s not far from what we have been doing. Moses called to lead the people of Israel, was called when he was pasturing the sheep of his father-in-law and was taking them to the far side of the desert (Exodus 3:1). God called him who was leading the sheep through the desert to lead his people through the desert. There is a connection between what he was doing before the call and what he is called to do after the call. It was the same for David who was taken behind the sheep to lead the people of God (2 Samuel 7:8) who were in need of a powerful and fearless warrior and that’s what David had been all through (1 Samuel 17:32-36). I want you to know that the call placed upon your life is closely linked to who you have been and that’s why becoming a disciple doesn’t take you away from who you have been but rather brings it into usage for the glory of God. A good example of this is St Paul whose zeal and radicality remained the same before and after conversion (Acts 9:1-25). Every one of us called by the master must learn to identify the purpose of the call and forge towards it. The beauty of following Jesus is all about walking in his steps, in already traced routes, defined places, and well-given precautions to be taken (Matthew 10:6-18). The assurance we have on this journey is that we shall never be alone on it (Matthew 28:19-20). But we must be careful to make sure that we are focussed on a single master and not two (Matthew 6:24) so that we won’t miss our steps or get mixed up as we walk. Today I want you all to listen to the call of the master and identify his voice that is calling you (1 Samuel 3:10). But I also want you to remember that where you are called is exactly where God wants you to be. Samuel was called by the Lord’s covenant box and was made a priest to serve the same tent where the Box dwelled. Your calling is not far from where you are. Wherever you find yourself, just remember, that you have been called and assigned to serve there in the name of the Lord.

In Corda Matris.

Resolutions

I resolve to follow the master wherever he leads me.
I resolve to serve the sheep to the best I can.
I resolve to accomplish the mission given to me by the Lord.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank you for calling me and choosing me from among the flock, and giving me the privilege of serving you in my brothers and sisters. Teach me to be a faithful servant in your house and to serve with love and care all those you put on my path. That in serving my brother and sisters, I might serve you in truth and come to the gathering of the faithful when my life runs its course.

Amen.