Me, A Fisherman?

This weekend’s Gospel has my favorite passage and is the scariest Gospel for me.  Imagine that, two extremes in one Gospel.  If you recall, Jesus is walking along the shores of Galilee and he sees two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew.  Jesus said to them, “Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  I love this gospel passage.   As stated, it is my favorite passage.  I cannot imagine how these brothers felt, leaving their father, their livelihood, and their families behind, to follow Jesus, and share the Good News to complete strangers. 

I love this passage because it challenges me to go WAY outside my comfort zone.  While I like the idea of becoming a “fisher of men,” and leading and teaching people the Truth, the Light, and the Way, something about this screams EVANGELIZATION, which is definitely not something that I am often comfortable with. 

In today’s world, being a Christian can be hard.  It is so much easier for me to sit back and know that I have Jesus in my heart and keep it to myself.  I say this because I do not want to get into a confrontation.  I often say something along the line of “so long as they believe, it is okay with me.”  Instead of standing up and evangelizing about my beliefs, the way of Christ.  Maybe it is because, in today’s society, different beliefs can become polarizing very quickly.

So, how do I overcome my fear of Evangelizing to others?  Until I really thought about it, I evangelize more than I really knew.  I am lucky to have the medium of this weekly note to share with all of you my thoughts and beliefs.  I usually copy this into my blog, which has a small but faithful following.  Every time I meet a potential new family, I am lucky enough to share all the wonderful things our school does from academics to faith.  I get to be an example to my wife and children, in words, deeds, and actions, as we share our faith journey.  So when I truly think about it, I evangelize more than I thought, but I still have work to do.

How do you “make fishers of men?”  How do you share your faith with others?  Do you stand firm when faith conversations come up?  Do you share your stories about our school with other families or invite them to be part of our faith community?  While I am still afraid to stand on the street corner and shout at the top of my lungs, the Good News, my actions/reactions to the concerns of the world might just be an example for others.  I challenge you to assess the way you are already “fishers of men,” and look for ways to go outside your comfort zone and share the Good News with those in your life.