Carlo
Carreto was an active man of the world. Born in Piedmont, Italy in 1910 he
became the charismatic leader of the Italian youth movement known as Catholic
Action. At that time Communism was a fatal threat to Italy and the church was desperately
seeking to counteract the Red Menace. It was necessary to enter into the
political arena directly but this could be done solely by the laity. It was in
this context that Carlo emerged. He animated, inspired and mobilized the
younger generation for twenty years. But a life-changing moment came in 1954
when he felt God’s call for austerity and contemplation. He set out for the
Sahara Desert where he decisively burned his address book containing his
contacts and information of thousands of his friends in Italy. He would stay in
the desert as a hermit and sit for long hours in silent prayer before the
Blessed Sacrament. He left everything to follow Jesus.
In
today’s gospel reading, Matthew describes the call of the first disciples.
Jesus invites ordinary fishermen who immediately responds by “leaving their
nets and their boats” in order to follow Jesus. The disciples were simple
working people with no great background. Jesus was not looking for impressive
background and striking talent from his candidates; he simply needed ordinary
people who were generous and willing to give themselves totally to him. Even
today, what Christ needs is not our ability but our availability.
Moreover,
the call of the disciples was to become “fishers of men.” The disciples fully
understood what this metaphor meant. Jesus was referring to hard work! Just as
the laborious process of net tossing and slowly dragging it along hoping to
trap fish in the net; then the repetitive effort of repairing and cleaning the
nets take time, so the process of working for the kingdom would be frustrating.
It would often means lack of results yet not allowing the results to dictate
our enthusiasm and motivation. It meant relying not on one’s own ability but on
God’s generosity for good results. Hence to be fishers of men means to be
totally available for God’s work without counting the cost.
Prayer:
Lord, inspire me to be challenged by your call; follow you with total
availability without counting the cost. Amen.
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