January 25, 2026: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 4:18-23

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.

Reflection

Talk about a “magnetic personality!” What else would cause hard-working fishermen to immediately leave their source of livelihood, their boats, their nets and even their father, to follow someone they perhaps had only heard about, but hadn’t really met?

After all, Jesus had only begun his preaching. Was it so that they could become “fishers of men?” I doubt it! What did that phrase even mean to them at that time?

What was there about this itinerant preacher that was so attractive? Well, some traits of a magnetic personality (courtesy of Google) are authentic, self-confident, compassionate, thoughtful, attentive and inspirational.

Jesus is all of these and so much more. As they walked side-by-side with Jesus in the ensuing days and years, they certainly experienced all of these traits as he proclaimed “the gospel of the kingdom and cured people of every illness.”

Action

What is it that you find so compelling about Jesus that you are his follower, day after day, moment after moment? How will you strengthen your relationship with Jesus this week?