Overview:

The Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot

Jesus went out along the sea.
All the crowd came to him and he taught them.
As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,
sitting at the customs post.
Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed Jesus.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples;
for there were many who followed him.
Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners
and tax collectors and said to his disciples,
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 
Jesus heard this and said to them,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Find today’s readings here.

Jesus’s invitation to Levi is plain. Levi’s acceptance is simple. 

This past summer I had the pleasure of listening in as Noah Banasiewicz, S.J., told his vocation story during the opening session of the “Jesuitical” storytelling retreat. Noah’s reflection on a parallel scene in the Gospel of Matthew became a lesson on the straightforwardness of his calling to the Society.

Noah’s attention to the simple answer to Jesus’s call then is why I now cannot help but pay special attention to this same interaction in the Gospel of Mark, specifically Christ’s invitation.


They are two words without hurdles or barriers: “Follow me.” 

His healing work has to begin with a plain and radically open invitation. This is what is so significant to us about the company Christ keeps. It is not only in the shedding of historical taboo that Christ’s love is evident when he says,”I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” He calls us in Mark’s Gospel, and does not justify this call to the observing Pharisees with promise of judgement or scrutiny.

This presents an interesting task for us, the body the church. How are we to invite others in as Christ did? I think the answer is to use the same two words: “Follow me.”

Without trying all that hard, I find I am often in a position to invite others to Mass. The way my patchwork of friends has come together over the years, much like anyone else’s, means there are all sorts of faith backgrounds represented, and all sorts of curiosities with the Catholic Church. Each moment when that curisoity is expressed has given me the opportunity to invite people to follow me into the Church quite literally, though in probably more than two words.

Through plain, smiling invitations, sharing Mass with my curious and unbaptized friends has been a beautiful thing. Without expectation as they approach the church steps with me (but certainly with guidance on standing, kneeling, crossing arms and such) my friends have left Mass wanting to return. And I have left stronger in my own faith after feeling the prayers of our liturgy in new ways with each new friend at my side.

This past spring, dear college friends of my roommate joined me at Mass on Easter Sunday. They were welcomed by a crowded Church filled with joy. Just a few weeks ago, a friend who had once admitted they “desperately want to believe in something” took in a quiet and tender six o’clock evening Mass with me. After a chance run-in on the train earlier in the week, I have two guests from my neighborhood joining me for Mass this Sunday. I cannot wait.

I do not know that I am having any effect on the big imaginary dial at the diocesan offices that is tallying converts and I do not really care to know if I ever will. What I am sure of is that I am being called to make these simple invitations, and I invite you to do the same whenever you can.

It may be worth it if only for the interesting experience of hearing yourself speak the creed next to a friend who does not know it. It is like a positive reversal of the feeling of showing someone a movie you have not watched in a while, one you swear you adore, and then having unsavory scenes you have forgotten about catch you off guard. It can give you a chance to mean every word you have memorized all over again. 

Be mindful of your friends’ curiosities and be open to them; I believe Christ promises us they will bear fruit for us all.

Julian Navarro is America Media’s advancement manager.