St James Catholic Church

Dear Parishioners,

Interestingly, when Jesus begins his mission and goes out to call disciples, he does not go to Jerusalem, to the temple, or to a synagogue at all. No, he goes down to the shores of the Sea of Galilee. As he told religious authorities later, he came to call sinners, not the righteous. Therefore, he chooses to go down to the sea to walk among sailors and fishers, not up to the synagogue to find those at prayer. When you wonder whether you are being called by the Lord and think yourself too unworthy, know that you are unworthy. But this is exactly why Jesus is calling you.

By our baptism, we are each called to be disciples of the Lord. We are called to follow Jesus. What do we see when we follow him? We see him teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. When he later sends out his disciples in pairs, these are the things he calls them to do. We are Jesus’ hands and voice now, called to spread the gospel, to teach lessons by word and deed, to bring healing to the afflicted and care for those in need. Today, we hear how he sets an example for the first disciples and for us current disciples.

Love, Peace, Joy,

Fr. Bob

P.S. Since the following week on February 3rd is the Feast of Saint Blaise, the patron of suffers of diseases of the throat, we will have a general blessing during the January 31st and February1st Masses followed by individual blessings after Mass for anyone who wishes.