"Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him." Mark 1:20 (full readings)
Rich's Reflections: Today's Gospel is a story of faith and evangelization. In the Gospel, James and John heard Christ's calling, left their father Zebedee behind, and followed Jesus. They were among the first disciples of Jesus and were called by Him to be "fishers of men." James and John showed tremendous faith to leave everything behind for Jesus, including their sole source of livelihood and their family. Their father Zebedee had faith as well for he was willing to allow his sons to go follow Jesus during a time when sons were the only chance for retirement for a father. As disciples of Christ, we must be prepared to listen for Christ's calling in our daily life. Jesus did not call James and John in the Temple, but at their place of work (fishing in the Sea of Galilee). Jesus expects us to leave everything behind (materialism) and to go follow Him as "fishers of men" (evangelization). Loving God, You call us each by name as you did James and John, to leave all secular distractions behind, and to complete Your mission of evanglization. Open our hearts Lord and inspire us to work hard at fishing for the souls of men and women so that they may also know of Your everlasting love. Amen.
* REMINDER: Abby Johnson will be holding a webcast today to talk about the release of her new book, "Unplanned", January 10th at 8pm CST. Abby is the Planned Parenthood leader who walked out of the clinic and into the arms of peaceful pro-life prayer warriors after witnessing an abortion close up. You can sign up for this webcast at Unplanned Webcast.
Faith Challenge: Have you gone fishing yet this year? Jesus wants you to fish for men and women every day.
Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). View, add, update Prayers on our website. Let’s pray now.
Faith Quote: "[In regards to evangelization], we don't need to be smart or articulate. We just need to work daily, frequently, and repeatedly to lead others to Christ. If you keep throwing the net, Jesus will provide the fish. Those who fish a lot catch a lot of fish." - One Bread, One Body
Through Christ our Lord,
* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. Fast from things that take your eyes off Jesus. Those who pray together stay together, and close to God!
* Save Unborn (& family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (23% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 & Jer 1:5. “A great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish.” Mother Teresa
* Evangelize: Make room for unbelievers & re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.
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