Ordinary Time 
Pause
It happens to us every day. Every hour. We have to respond. We have to respond to the car that cuts us off on the road. Respond to the text that just arrived. Respond to the person who is calling our name.
Some of our responses are automatic, and we don’t even think about it. Some are conditioned by our experiences. For some, we have time to breathe and think and pray.
And in the midst, God continues to call… How are we prepared to respond?
Listen
After going a little farther, he saw James and John, Zebedee’s sons, in their boat repairing the fishing nets. At that very moment he called them. They followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers.
Mark 1:19-20
Think
I wonder what Zebedee thought as his sons left their nets, climbed out of the boat, and started following after Jesus. Like Simon and Andrew, there doesn’t seem to be any discussion or pause before they up and leave. I can imagine Zebedee calling after his sons, as James and John just continue to follow this Jesus and the others with him.
Our choice to respond to Jesus is challenging not only for us but it can also be challenging for others. When we follow Jesus, others will call after us, trying to draw us back into old patterns and old ways. But we are called to continue to follow.
Edward Goode
Pray
God, it's not easy to follow you. When we respond to you, others may respond with ridicule, concern, or fear. Yet, you continue to call us to lives of reconciliation, forgiveness, hope, and grace. May we be willing to respond in those ways despite the reactions of others. Amen.
Go
Stop.
Take a few breaths. Take a few more.
Listen.
Wait.
Pray.
Respond.
