Fishing with Light Tackle
“The people
who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the
land of gloom a light has shone….”
For most of us, a
child lights up our life. A child can light up our family and our Church. So we
celebrate the child. January 22 (January 23rd this year) is a
special day of prayer, For the Legal
Protection of Unborn Children.
As I was getting
ready for my first mass this Sunday morning, the day after the Women’s March on
Washington, the news served pictures of the protest in the name of women’s
rights.
In one picture a
sign, “My body. My right,” and next to it the sign “Love trumps hate!” I
thought what a contradiction. A sign obviously
pro-abortion was followed by message that this women’s protest was about love.
I am for women’s
rights. I am for freedom, justice, and recognizing the dignity God has given each
human life. I am for fair and equal treatment of each and every person.
Still today, women
are passed over for promotions when they are the most qualified by skill,
education, and background. Women are passed over for a raise because someone decided
the men need it more. This is wrong, yet, so is ending an innocent human life;
calling it a non-life and not human because to someone it is an inconvenience.
I will protest and
argue the rights of every human being. I will stand-up for dignity, justice and
freedom for every human life. You should too. But is it standing for freedom,
justice and dignity if it doesn’t protect every human life.
Treat every human
life (woman, man, born or unborn) with the dignity, justice, and in freedom God
has given to us. Pray for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Those are
the worlds of a daddy proud of the young women that are my children.
It was as a child God
came to us. A child was God’s sign of simplicity. He made himself small for us.
The King of kings didn’t come in visible power and apparent splendor. He didn’t
come to overwhelm us or to rule with fear.
He came as love that
asks for our love; a child.
In the weakness of a
child, Jesus came as the light to the world. His light was not great as we
understand greatness. It was not a bold harsh light on the ugliness in our
life. His light was great in a new way like the light of a simple candle, soft and
gentle coming in love so that we could find our way out of darkness.
By this light, Jesus
proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven. This light called
the disciples to become fishers of men. It was in this light He went around all of Galilee, teaching, proclaiming the
gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.
In the soft and
gentle light of Christ, gruff hardened fishermen became children again.
If a parent smiles at
their baby long enough, the baby smiles back. As the parent speaks with a smile
and a voice of love, the child grows in that love. It is the smile and voice of
love that the person a child becomes,
develops.
Every person enters
this world in the same way. As a child our consciousness was shaped so the self-expression
of who we are is possible. Then we meet the world.
The lucky meet those called
to be fishers of men bringing the light of Christ, the gospel to the world. And
in this light, the gruff hardened sinner becomes a child again.
The word of God speaks,
“follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
If we have truly follow
Christ and have given ourselves to the Lord, we have given him everything. We
give our heart, our mind, and our body. Who do you
follow? I follow Christ.
Then we too become fishers
of men. We preach, teach, and witness the gospel by the light that is Christ; the
light that continues to come to us in the smile and voice of our Heavenly
Father thorough the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. The light that is the
Word of God smiles love to the world
In His gentle light,
we see our sins and come out of darkness. We who have walked
in darkness have seen a great light; in his light we are called to follow him.
Christ comes no
matter where we are in our lives. He comes to children, simple fishermen, or whatever
we are and “Says follow me, walk in my light, and I will make you more.” He recognizes that each of us
is one of the poor in spirit, to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs.
With love more innocent
and pure than a parent and child, God comes to us. In the light of faith, we
see the love Christ offers. In the light of His love, the one who came as a
child endured the cross for us. In the light of Christ, the darkness of sin is gone
and we are forgiven.
The world needs more
fishers of men.
Y’all be good, y’all
be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.
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