I was on the shore of the Sea of Galilee when I first saw Jesus, my Lord, my Master.

My brother Andrew was with me. We were throwing our net into the water.

Since the waves were high and strong, we were catching a few fish. That made us sad.

Suddenly, Jesus appeared beside us, as if He had materialized Himself at that very moment, for we had not seen Him approaching. He called us by our names and said:

"If you follow me, I will lead you to a cove full of fish."

When I looked at His face, the net fell off my hands, because a flame lit up inside me and I recognized Him.

"We know all the coves on this coast" - my brother Andrew said. "We know that on a windy day like this, fish seek a depth that is out of the reach of our nets."

 "Follow me to the shore of a greater sea. I will make you fishers of men. Your net will never be empty again."

We abandoned our boat and net and followed Him.

Personally, I was drawn by an invisible strength that was with Him. I walked beside Him, with such breathless emotion, completely enraptured, and my brother Andrew followed behind, thrilled.

As we walked on the sand, I took courage and told Him:

"Lord, me and my brother will follow Your steps wherever You go."

*  *  *

Peter describes, passionate, his first meeting with Jesus.

His humility and that of his brother should be an example for us.

They were experienced fishermen, they knew those waters and the behavior of the fish, but in the presence of Someone Geater, they simply listened.

They felt, deep in their souls, that That Visitor was different. And they trusted.

He understood of fish, the oceans and much more.

Fishing was the subsistence activity of those simple men. It was all they had to assure the material life of their family and, yet they realized that the proposal of That Man was much bigger.

Would we be prepared to listen to a proposal like that?

Would we be prepared, today, to abandon our net and our boat and follow Jesus?

 We are not referring here to the abandoning our jobs, to leave alone those who depend on us, in no way. It is not that.

It is another type of leaving the net and the boat.

It is much more an intimate attitude of trusting, of giving priority to other areas of life.

Leaving the net and the boat may be understood as giving more value to the things of the Spirit than to the material ones.

Doing this with actions, adjusting the steps, choices and way of living.

Not allowing ourselves be deluded by the passing values of the world and their many delights, which take us much energy.

Not allowing the worries of material subsistence take away the restoring sleep, take away from us our loved ones and deprive our most value moments of existence.

Let us think: if today we received the proposal to leave our net and our boat, what would it mean for each one of us.

Remembering that the proposal does not come from a new sect, from a trend. It comes from the One in whom we trust the most, our Example and Guide: it is a proposal from Jesus.

Spiritist Moment Team based on chapter Simão, que foi
chamado de Pedro, from the book Jesus, o filho do Homem,
by Khalil Gibran, L&P publisher.
April 2.2025