Hello Families, in today’s Gospel, Jesus begins to preach in Galilee and calls His first disciples. The Gospel tells us little about the background of these fishermen, their work, and their families. In today’s Gospel, we are simply told that James and John left their father, Zebedee, in the boat and followed Jesus.
Some details about the families of these first followers of Jesus are found later in Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew 8:14-15 for example, Jesus goes to the home of Peter and heals his mother-in-law of a fever. These brief references suggest that the first disciples’ separation from their families may not have been as complete as the verses in today’s Gospel might lead us to believe. Matthew points out the separation because he wants to show that Christian discipleship can require a change in our lives and even our family relationships. Perhaps the message for us today is to balance the radical call to be a follower of Jesus with the challenge to be “fishers of men” even within our own families. Creating this balance may require that we change some of the priorities of our own family life. As a family, detail the activities of a typical day. Discuss together what priorities are reflected in this daily schedule. How does your family respond when your daily plans are interrupted or must be changed? Together read today’s Gospel, Matthew 4:12-23. Reflect together on the example of the first disciples who dropped everything to follow Jesus. Ask: Does our family schedule give evidence that we put God first in our family life? What might we do to better reflect that God is our priority? Pray together that your family will always give evidence that God comes first in your family life. Pray today’s Psalm or the Lord’s Prayer.
Partners in Faith,
Phyllis Chudzinski
- Wednesday 1/25/23: K-8 Classes 5:30-7:00pm *7th grade Retreat
- Wednesday 2/1/23: K-8 Classes 5:30-7:00pm
- Wednesday 2/8/23: K-8 Classes 5:30-7:00pm, Confirmation Interviews