Our Call

“You will be called Cephas.”  (John 1:42)

There are many times in Scripture that God changes the name of the person he has called. Abram became Abraham, Jacob is changed to Israel, Saul became Paul, and in today’s gospel, Simon’s name is changed to Cephas, which is translated Peter. Not only does God change their name, but their relationship is changing too. God is using them as his instrument. They are entering into a covenant with God. “You shall be my people, and I will be your God.”  (Jeremiah 30:22)

John the Baptist announces, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Andrew and the other disciple hear what he has said and began to follow Jesus. Jesus turns and asks them, “What are you looking for?” At some point in our lives we are all looking for something. We are looking for a reason to be and we seek the answer in many different ways. Some seek to fulfill this longing with sexual relationships, or by accumulating things, obtaining power or through drugs or alcohol. We may seek the affirmation of others but all of these things fall short because what we are looking for can only be satiated with the love of Christ.

Jesus invites Andrew and the other disciple to “come, and you will see.” We are all invited by Jesus to come and see what he has to offer. We are called to be transformed by Christ; to leave our old ways behind and to allow him to make us new. When God changes the name of people in the bible, it is done to establish a new identity; they have been destined for a new mission in life. They are now part of the divine plan and it will be fulfilled in them. While our name may not change, we are all called to turn from our old life of bondage and take part in the divine plan. We each have a part in His plan that only we can fulfill. When we realize this we are able to see our reason to be. We are a new creation.

“So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)