The gospel passage from this weekend is taken from St John’s gospel, and it presents a different slant from the other gospels, on how Jesus went about recruiting his disciples. In the gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus first encounters Peter and calls him to follow him while Peter is putting his nets in order down at the lakefront of the Sea of Galilee. Luke presents a similar lakefront call, but has the initial encounter take place at Peter’s house where Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law. Here, John’s gospel gives a different scenario as Peter comes to Jesus only after his brother Andrew had spent time with Jesus and, believing Jesus to be the long-expected Messiah, brought Peter to Jesus.
“Where are you staying?” Andrew asked, letting Jesus know he wanted to spend time with him, more than just a quick interview on the spot. In addition to study, prayer is essential. The gospel says it was about “four in the afternoon.” The hour would have been particularly significant if they were approaching the beginning of the Sabbath which began at sunset. Since Jewish people were not to do unnecessary work on the Sabbath, Andrew and his companion would spend the day in prayer and conversation with Jesus…a wonderful encouragement for us to honor the Day of the Lord by spending time with Jesus in prayer.
Faith is more than just having the right beliefs based on accurate information. Faith is a way of life which comes through spending time with Jesus. How will you be spending your time after Mass today?