Photo by Chad Greiter on Unsplash

The Gospels have several stories about the call of the apostles: fishermen, the tax collector, the political agitator and others who encounter Jesus through witnessing His actions and hearing His teaching. They choose to follow Him. Later they discover that they were chosen by Him first.

This brings up the interesting question: Why should we live our faith today? Is it something that we choose to help us live a good life or is it something that chooses us to lead others to a new understanding of what it means to be human?

The answer to that question is at the center of what Church attendance is all about.

Jesus refers to his disciples as witnesses and calls them to testify to His truth to the ends of the Earth. This is what they then do. He warns them that their life will be difficult and they will be opposed even by friends and family. Such are not the words of someone who is inviting anyone to enjoy a more comfortable life if he or she follows him. It is more the call of one who has an important task that must be accomplished and calls for his followers to do it, even at a cost.

He warns them that their life will be difficult and they will be opposed even by friends and family. Such are not the words of someone who is inviting anyone to enjoy a more comfortable life if he or she follows him.