Fishers of Men- Catechism, Humility and Unity

Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men.Matthew 4:18-20

The last weekend of 2006, we expended much time and effort setting up a stall in Church. It served two purposes, first, to showcase to the parish that the youth scene in IHM is very much alive. Second, it was an opportunity to show our newly confirmed what each group under the Youth Ministry (YM) does and for them to choose a group to journey with.

The ee.him.eeek theme was "Fishers of men", a quotation from Matthew 4:18 and Mark 1:17. As budding catechists, we are directly responsible for the education and spiritual preparation of our charges. We are like fishers of men in the sense that we are evangelising to our younger brothers and sisters. Even though not all of us will serve directly in the classroom, some of us might prefer administration or logistics, we are all in the trenches fighting for the souls of our children.

As we roll into 2007 and start a new year and new programme for the youth catechists, we all need to understand that as confirmed Catholics, we are ALL fishers of men. The power of our diversity underscored by our Catholic unity can and will bring about conversion. Conversion of even the most lost of sheep. But we need to constantly remind ourselves that our unity within the church only works when we have mutual respect for each others gifts and an appreciation that God accepts each and every kind of service we render unto him as an offering.

Would you deride or make fun of the offering of Himself Jesus made? His sacrifice on the cross is, was and will be the ultimate sacrifice. Would you stand at the foot of the cross and point at laugh? Because when you mock another group in church, that is essentially what you are doing. Please remember that all of service offered to God by YM is equal.

Divisiveness, pride and arrogance are signs that the evil one is working feverishly to undermine our unity and disrupt the harmony of our community. IHMYC’s Catechism, ZJ’s Praise and Worship, Post Con’s formation programme are all equal. Neither is superior or inferior. All our groups will suffer highs and lows, when your sibling is ill in hospital, do you stand at the foot of their bed and mock their pain and suffering? Thus, we need to support and help each other through the good times and bad times. One group’s misfortune is not another’s celebration; on the contrary, it is both a time of sadness and an opportunity for all of us to rally round to help. Nothing builds bonds better than adversity.

I think that humily will really help our community, please allow me to quote from Luke 14:7-11:

7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Humility is important, especially in the service we as catechists offer to God. Our programme this year will explore in minute detail the idea of “Servant Leadership”, using Jesus as the definitive example of servant leader.

Ultimately, your spirituality and its expression are individual, unique to you and you are called to serve where you are most comfortable or have the most room for personal and spiritual growth; yet, this spirituality can only come to fruit within the context of the community. We need each other.

On our regular blog, I posted this paragraph:

"All of the groups under the Youth Ministry serve God, we're all on the same team, playing for the same coach, against the same enemy, sin. PC, ZJ, RCIY and IHMYC (ee.him.eeek) are different; yet we all pull in the same direction, pray for the same things, we work and sweat together, play and laugh together. We're building the Kingdom of God and you know what? It is soo much fun! It is our sincerest hope to anchor you to the parish so that you can get the most positive experience possible; so that you can come journey with us to discover Jesus."

We are all called to serve in one way or another. Each of us serves Jesus in a unique way. Each day of service needs to be a celebration of our unity in diversity for it is plain to me that the Lord truly enjoys diversity. Look at his creations around us. Look at the diversity among us.

We must not let divisiveness separate us. We must not let pride blind us. We must not allow gossip and untruth poison the love that exists between us. We must not let the evil one put barriers between us. Like the puritans, we need to practice “Holy Watchfullness”, we need to watch for divisive comments, stop ourselves from gossip and be tolerant and understanding of the spiritual expression of our brethren. We should only offer humble, constructive criticism.

We need to reflect and pray every day for not only unity amongst ourselves as youth of IHM, but also for unity among Christians.

As the new generation of youth catechists take their places on the frontlines of the battle between good and evil, let's all think about what we can do as individuals to help build unity and also develop our selves so that we can better build God's Kingdom.