When Jesus says to Peter and Andrew, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men," without an apparent second thought, they abandon their nets and follow him. We may wonder at the charismatic power of Jesus to elicit such an urgent, immediate response. But as Father Isaac reminded us in this morning's homily, to encounter the Lord Jesus is to encounter the Living God, the Holy One of Israel, not a deified man but the incarnate God. And an encounter with the incarnate God does indeed have the power to transform, so that perceptions are altered and faith becomes the most reasonable, most human, most spiritual, most responsible and natural response to Jesus and his proclamation.
Duccio di Buoninsegna, The
Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew, 1308-1311, National Gallery of
Art, Washington, DC.
