Is. 9:1-4; 1 Cor. 1:10-13, 17-18; Mt. 4:12-23
When Jesus hears of John the Baptist’s arrest, he withdraws to Galilee. Matthew carefully notes that Jesus settles in Capernaum, in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, fulfilling Isaiah’s ancient prophecy: “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” Galilee was considered insignificant. Yet it is precisely there that God’s light shines first. This tells us something essential: God’s call does not wait for ideal conditions. Jesus enters places of confusion, pain, and uncertainty.
Isaiah’s words in the first reading speak powerfully to our own age. Darkness today may not look like ancient oppression, but it is just as real. It is seen in anxiety about the future, fractured families, loneliness amid technology, addiction, and a loss of meaning. Many sit in the “shadow of death” even while surrounded by comfort. Into this darkness Jesus proclaims, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee, he does something astonishingly ordinary. He sees people at work. Simon and Andrew are casting nets; James and John are mending theirs. Jesus meets them in the middle of routine life. This is deeply important for us today. The call “Follow me” is not addressed only to monks. It is spoken on factory floors, in offices, hospitals, classrooms, kitchens, and construction sites. Jesus still walks by the shores of our everyday responsibilities and looks at us—not for what we are, but for what we can become.
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Jesus does not ask these men to abandon the world, but to see it differently. He transforms their skills, their experience, their labor into instruments of grace. In our time, this call is repeated whenever a teacher chooses integrity over convenience, whenever a doctor treats a patient as a person rather than a case, whenever a businessperson resists corruption, whenever a young person chooses faith over popularity. Following Jesus today means allowing him to reshape how we live, work, speak, and choose.
Matthew tells us that the fishermen respond immediately. They leave their nets, their boats, even their father, and follow Jesus. This immediacy challenges our modern hesitation.
The Old Testament repeatedly shows that God’s call interrupts ordinary life. Abraham is called to leave his homeland. Moses is called while tending sheep. Amos insists he was “no prophet” but a shepherd when God summoned him. Elisha is plowing a field when Elijah calls him. God’s call always disturbs comfort and invites trust. The same pattern continues in the Gospel and in our own time. God still calls people from unexpected places, asking them to leave what is familiar for something greater.
The lives of the saints make this clear. Saint Maximilian Kolbe followed Christ not with grand speeches, but by offering his life in Auschwitz for another prisoner. Saint Oscar Romero heard Christ’s call repeated through the suffering of the poor and the oppressed and chose to follow, even at the cost of his life. In more recent times, many parents quietly follow Christ by remaining faithful in difficult marriages, caring for disabled children, or forgiving deep wounds. These are not dramatic calls heard by the sea, but the same voice whispering, “Follow me—here, now, in this.”
The second reading from 1 Corinthians brings the call sharply into today’s divided world. Paul condemns the factions tearing the community apart. “Has Christ been divided?” he asks. This question echoes powerfully in a time of polarization—within societies, churches, even families. Social media amplifies division; ideology replaces dialogue; loyalty to personalities overshadows loyalty to Christ. Paul reminds us that following Jesus means belonging first and foremost to him.
To follow Jesus today means resisting the temptation to define ourselves against others. The fishermen followed together, despite differences. Unity did not come from agreement on everything, but from walking behind the same Lord.
Finally, Matthew tells us that Jesus goes throughout Galilee teaching, proclaiming, and healing. This remains the Church’s mission today. Wherever Christ is followed, minds are enlightened, hearts are given hope, and wounds begin to heal. Every Christian shares in this mission. We may not preach in synagogues, but we preach through our lives. We may not perform miracles, but we can bring healing through compassion, patience, and presence.
A modern story tells of a nurse working during the COVID pandemic who was asked why she continued despite exhaustion and fear. She replied, “Because if I walk away from suffering, who will stay?” Without realizing it, she echoed the Gospel. She followed Christ into the places of fear and fragility. That is what “Follow me” means today.
Jesus still passes by the shores of our lives. He still looks at us with the same quiet authority and love. He still says, “Follow me.” The question is not whether the call is repeated but whether we are listening.
May we have the courage to step into the light Isaiah promised, the humility to live the unity Paul urged, and the faith to follow Jesus in the choices we make each day.
Satish