Jesus is The Word of God made flesh and His words are spoken with God’s authority. If we trust completely and give God authority over our lives and trust in His providence, He will take care of us no matter what. As Christian stewards, we follow Jesus’ commands out of gratitude for all that He has given us. We are more willing to live by God’s commands when we are motivated by love and gratitude.

Jesus Tells His First Disciples: “Come After Me, and I will Make You Fishers of Men.”

I can easily imagine James and John asking: “What have we signed up for here?” Last week, John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God. Andrew, Peter and others were the first followers, disciples of Jesus. Today, we learn from St. Mark, who was St. Peter’s scribe, that “After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee” to begin His ministry of announcing the Kingdom of God. There was a transition from these disciples following John the Baptist to following Jesus. In other words, the disciples already knew who Jesus was and Jesus was aware of them.

After celebrating the Epiphany and Baptism of the Lord, we now return to Ordinary Time and immediately Jesus asks the first disciples: “What are you looking for?”

This time is far from ordinary, however. It is the time to follow our orders as Christians to go out to all the world and tell the Good News. Now the Voice of God, the Eternal Word Made Flesh, Jesus, was speaking to His first witnesses.

Epiphany celebrates the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. It focuses on this great revelation to the Magi, the Three Wise Men.

On this day the Church celebrates the nativity of faith to the Gentile world. God brought the Magi to Christ… through the miraculous star… while a wonderful grace impelled their hearts and invited them to follow the star into another land… and there to adore a new-born King Who was God-Incarnate. The Magi came and adored Our Lord and they received the gift of grace that saintly Catholics have (Servant of God, Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, 1923).