One of the most difficult duties of a disciple is to follow the command of Jesus to spread the gospel to all nations. (Lk 24:47, Mk 116:15, Mt 28:19) I think one reason may be that we don’t feel we have the authority to tell someone else what to believe. Most of us don’t think we know the gospel well enough to preach it. Or we are so afraid of offending atheists, that we use that fear as an excuse to say nothing. But being a disciple means following Jesus.

This phrase comes in the context of the epiclesis, which is the part of the Eucharistic Prayer which calls down the Holy Spirit to initiate the process of transubstantiation – that is, transforming the simple gifts of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The line in the revised Missal reads as follows: “You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” Here, the word dewfall is a translation for the Latin rore, which means “dew” or “light rainfall.”

Something very profound is going on in this brief passage about the call of the first apostles. Jesus calls, they follow. It’s a pretty simple cause and effect scenario. Yet, you and I both know that following Jesus is anything but simple these days…right? Or could it be that this passage is the perfect model for just how radical it is to follow Jesus?

Don't you enjoy the nostalgia of pleasant memories, such as the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

How wonderful it is to relive the moment when Jesus called His first followers. I love to envision the sheer excitement and camaraderie that must have existed among those He called. An endless jubilee, God uniting with those He loves, ordinary human beings, you and me.

The Church is very strategic in its placement of the readings throughout the year. Today's second reading is a perfect example of this when Paul talks about stewardship. It's no surprise that we hear about this on the Feast of the Epiphany when we commemorate the magi finding the baby Jesus and bringing him gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. I always thought this was funny because these seem like terrible gifts for a little baby, but maybe this whole story is meant to show us more about what to do with gifts as opposed to what the actual gifts are.