Answering God's Call

“In those times where you’ve seen God at work, or you’ve received blessings or experienced a change in yourself – be thankful”

“Thank God for the Gospels not being just simple accounts of what Jesus said and did; that they contain such puzzles and even contradictions is to their enrichment. The ‘Good News’ is all the more powerful and compelling — and far from simple!”

“In the Gospel story, Simon Peter wants to be left alone, but he is in a crowd—the crowd of sinners. He, and we, can be rescued from these crowds by getting into the ‘right’ crowd.”

“Jesus calls us in the depth of our messy stories and draws out the fullness of who we are”

“How different might our spiritual journey be if we got used to the idea of discerning before responding?”

“the single most important decision you'll ever make is this: will you cooperate with Jesus once he decides to get into your boat? When grace invades, do you cooperate or not?”

“when you let Christ into your life you must expect the fact that he's going to direct you”

“In remembering bits of my story, I am curious about what Call means for today’s youth”

“In sensing the hand of God at work, Simon, who is overwhelmed by the sense of his own sinfulness, does not yet believe what God can do in him. Like a fish in the dark, he does not see the net of God’s creative love which is closing around him.”

“Jesus knew where to find the disciples and the crowd knew where to find Jesus. Where does God find us? And when do we seek Jesus? Never discount ordinary time!”

“We, too, feel our unworthiness and need of mercy in God’s presence, and also our responsibility to spread the Good News of mercy to all people”

“Jesus’ mission is our mission—with one ENORMOUS difference: our mission is to LIVE OUT the Good News of God’s saving love and truth WHERE WE ARE in our ordinary daily lives”

“Discipleship should be understood as faith in action, and faith as the acceptance of prior forgiveness”

“I could choose to feel helpless by what I have witnessed. Yet my experience of mission and my experiences each day in new relationships with people I meet, have taught me the value of “building bridges””

“As sins, ultimately, were not a defeat of Jesus, so Peter’s sins do not defeat his preaching as an apostle”

“They are “just fisherman”, but Jesus knows their personalities, their strengths, and their natural abilities – and He knows that they are the perfect ones for His Mission”

“For even if it has the certainty a glorious conclusion, and a joyful path, the road of discipleship is nonetheless tough, and sometimes dangerous. Though it gives more than it asks, it is nonetheless demanding.”

“But the call of the holy God does not conform to what we expect. The sinner is not banished, just purged for action. Unworthiness cannot be used as an excuse to keep to safe old ways.”

“Far from departing from Simon the sinner, the Son of God has come among us sinners to raise us above our creaturely limitations, to overcome our sinfulness and enable us to share in God’s own life and glory”

“When life turns on us in a new way, it can frighten us. But the good news is this: when Jesus steps into our boat, he does not intend to leave. He will stay with us until he makes us the person we need to be.”

“God is ungraspable, yes, but God is also at the same time unavoidable. I can't control God but at the same time I can't run from God.”

“It's not a question of your worthiness, it's a question of God's grace, God breaks into our experience”

“See, when the true God breaks into your consciousness, he breaks into your life with his grace, nothing remains the same”