Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 23, 2000

Homily Code: DD-1

Jesus was about to begin his public life. Choosing His disciples would be very important. He approached Simon and Andrew and later James and John with an unusual offer. Here was a stranger asking these hardy fisherman to leave everything and follow Him and instead of catching fish, they would become fishers of men. This was unheard of. This was a shocking offer from a relatively unknown individual whom they hardly knew. Leave your nets and boat, leave your jobs and family and follow Me. How would any of us react to an offer like this? Their answer could have been," Are you kidding me? I have obligations and responsibilities, a home and a family, I can't do that." But no, they accepted the offer sight unseen. They left their nets and boats and followed Him. Happily for them and for us they accepted the challenge. Was it a risk? It was a huge risk. But their acceptance was a great example of what happens when we put our faith and trust in God. As it turned out, it was the greatest offer ever made to any individual or group of individuals. And what did they get in return? By trading their hearts, their souls and their minds to this unknown traveling preacher, they received eternal life.

But once again, what would we have done? Would we have accepted without question? I don't think I would have. There was no resume, no performance history, no background of achievement and there were no guarantees whatsoever. But these men had a quality that I might have lacked. They had faith in this carpenter from Nazareth.

We are familiar with offers, good and bad. God's offer was much more profound than the ones we get. Ours come through the mail, newspapers, television, even through E-mail, and oh!, don't forget the lottery. Many of these offers are very appealing; get rich quick, live in luxury, indulge yourself-you deserve it. Many of these offers are legitimate and very beneficial. Some we accept and some we reject. But Our Lord is making the same offer to us today that He made to Simon Peter and the other apostles over 1900 years ago. He has made this simple proposal to millions and probably billions of people like us over the centuries. His proposal is, "Come, follow Me." But He also adds, "Here are My rules: love Me, love your neighbor as yourself, keep My commandments and honor Me with prayer and in return I will give you eternal life with Me in Heaven."

That sounds like a very good offer, eternal life in the sight of God. Have you ever considered the magnitude of eternal life--eternity? Bishop Fulton J. Sheen described eternity in this fashion. Imagine a huge iron ball the size of the world suspended in space by a gigantic chain. Every 1000 years a tiny hummingbird flies around the iron ball and brushes the surface with it's wing. The time it would take for that hummingbird to wear away the iron ball and all the links of this gigantic chain is just the beginning of eternity. That's a long, long time so when you compare the rewards with the offer He makes, our response should be rather easy. Just like the apostles, He asks that we give Him our hearts, minds and souls; but we don't have to quit our jobs or leave our families. We can still play golf or watch the Super Bowl or play bridge. But He does say that if you will follow Me you will love Me and keep My commandments. Now here is the catch! We must live by His rules and that can be difficult at times. Over the years have we gotten away from some of these rules? Have we forgotten about some of them? Have we revised some to suit our own convenience? How hard would it be to get back in line? Isn't
this an easier decision than the one faced by Simon, Andrew, James and John?

When we accept the offer, there are tremendous benefits for all of us. Think back to the feeling of satisfaction you get for a job well done. You youngsters and teens; your accomplishments at either home, school or on the athletic field or court; when you have done a great job and it's recognized at home. Think of how good you feel. You are proud that you put forth the effort.

You parents realize your hard work and good example has paid off as your children finish their education and start on their careers. Our seniors can look back on your past life with pride as you realize that you have made a difference in the lives of many. You can all look God in the eye and say, "I took Your offer, I followed Your commandments, I showed my love for You by caring for my neighbor."

Compare this with the lives of the rich and famous, the oft-divorced movie stars, the world leaders in business and government, and the abortionists reaping huge profits by murdering unborn babies. How much peace of mind do they have?

If you have any doubts that you can accept this offer, think of the responsorial psalm we just heard. Ask for His help. We are saying to Our Lord, "Teach me your ways, O Lord, teach me your ways." He will surely hear us and respond.

I don't think our decision is that difficult. It really is an offer we can't refuse. Because if you listen closely, you might the sound of the that hummingbird traveling around the earth to begin this third millennium.

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