Lord, You Have Come

Luca Giordano, Painting, 1690

Matthew 4:12-23 always reminds me of the moment I felt called to religious life. As the song, "Pescador de Hombres", or, "Lord, You Have Come", by Fr. Cesareo Gabarain, played during communion, I remember looking up at the Crucifix and feeling called by Christ Crucified to follow Him. Although I was only ten years old when I felt the call, I did not understand what that would mean for my parents, my family, or me. Years later, in speaking to my father, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, he said, “I do not know what will happen. I only know that God is leading me step by step. I cannot see beyond each step; I can only see where the next step is.” Jesus' invitation to each one of us is to follow him, to follow “paso a paso” or “step by step”.

Although the song by Fr. Cesareo Gabarain has been forbidden in some liturgical songbooks, parishes, and dioceses, due to the accusations of abuse which surfaced against the Spanish priest and liturgical composer, the lyrics to the song are a reminder that God sets his eyes upon each one of us and that he calls each person by name. Priests and religious are not the only ones who are called to follow him. When Jesus calls James and John, the two brothers and their father have no idea what following Jesus will entail. So often, parents are afraid of letting their children go -- whether to prom, college, the military, or religious life. Knowing that it is Jesus whom we follow fills us with courage and confidence to take the step He calls us to take.