"Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped."
Psalms 124:7
One day like many along the Sea of Galilee, two men, Simon and Andrew, were tidying their fishing nets when Jesus approached and intimated to them, “Follow me.” We, too, were reached by His gaze and that voice that went straight to the heart, without judging our actions, and we were persuaded to leave our nets. He has opened horizons and ways inconceivable to the human mind. Daily, however, we have nets to avoid one thinks of those that figuratively indicate the dangers of life and which we can liken to “the fowler's snare” (Psalms 91:3). Behind every work activity the birdman can weave and spread nets to foster illicit gains. On the level of personal relationships, he can thicken those of sex-related behaviors that are not pleasing to God. Innumerable therefore are the nets the enemy scatters, and each can turn into an addiction: sex, gambling, alcohol, violence; to name a few that can circumvent a person's life, making him a “captive.” Since these are deceptions, most of the time these networks are invisible to our eyes and leverage our weaknesses. No one can claim to be excluded! Where there is a human body there is fallacy and the possibility of being caught. That is why Scripture reminds us that those who think they are free from it should beware, for “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man ” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
While for some there is the risk of picking up the nets that were left behind in the past, for others it may also happen that they find themselves holding them in their hands, stretched out on the path like a tempting proposition. When there is a shortage of work and the economy does not turn, here come the offers of “good deals.” Once caught in the birdman's net one is prey to concupiscence, corruption, and sin. Getting caught in it may be easy, but coming out of it is quite exhausting. Jesus tells us, “Follow Me!” Following Him does not mean finding the solution to problems or the secret to wealth, physical health or total well-being. Rather, it means leading our lives in a different light. The invitation to the two fishermen caught up in worries and fatigued was related to the good of humanity. To become fishers of men means to be bearers of Christ's grace. All that the nets can bring into our homes is circumscribed to this existence, for dust we were and dust we shall return. Jesus, on the other hand, came to give us a new perspective: “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25b). Those who follow Him are not called to become businessmen, successful. Those who follow Him have the opportunity to be instruments of His kingdom and have the grace to be involved in God's work. Simon and Andrew “promptly left their nets and followed Him,” not letting Him tell them twice.
At the beginning of conversion, caught up in zeal, it comes naturally to leave everything to follow Jesus. As with Peter after Jesus' death and resurrection, the moment our faith fails, we begin to rely only on our own strength to solve problems. So we take up the old nets again, which can hide a deception, a danger since they do not encourage us to trust in the Lord. Thus they can not only set us against the law of man, but turn us away from God's grace, causing us to lose eternal life. Scripture reminds us that Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). If you are struggling against temptation, if your hands have taken up the once-abandoned nets, the invitation is this: drop every net and follow Jesus, the One who said, “I am the way the truth and the life; no one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6). I believe that if we have answered the invitation, we want to go all the way, to witness His infinite love, His immense goodness for choosing us of all people. May then the nets of sin, those of deception and all kinds of addictions be broken and we enjoy His freedom. Today's invitation is “Follow the Lord and stay away from the nets.”
Weekly Bible Reading Plan #07
February 10, Leviticus 8-10; Matthew 25:31-46
February 12, Leviticus 11-12; Matthew 26:1-25
February 12, Leviticus 13; Matthew 26:26-50
February 13, Leviticus 14; Matthew 26:51-75
February 14, Leviticus 15-16; Matthew 27:1-26
February 15, Leviticus 17-18; Matthew 27:27-50
February 16, Leviticus 19-20; Matthew 27:51-6
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