Vocatio discipulorum

- it's not my fault. All is a mist. Darkness. I see nothing. Stay with me.
- I've been where you are... in darkness, then seeing men without form. It too will pass. I must go to Perga with my uncle and that other man.
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How strange that God would send Mark, who saw others as trees walking, with Paul, himself so afflicted in his eyes. And they would fall out - for Paul made one blind who thought he saw. Two weak vessels with the more mature Barnabas made the first journey to the Diaspora and to the Gentiles in Asia. Then uncle Mark returned to Jerusalem.

- venite post me et faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum

Whether we are weak or strong, we are called to follow. As we follow, we learn slowly how to show the journey to others. And sometimes the weak find they can give strength to the strong. And sometimes the strong find they are not so strong and learn a gentler rebuke. When I was 6, I remember uncle Mark came with us when we moved from Jerusalem to Alexandria. He was nearly 10 times my age. I loved to sit on his knee as our vessel moved over the waters. He told me of bar Jesus and of his own blindness.

As for fishing, I was intrigued with the metaphor of us as fish and I a great netter of fish. That too was a long time ago. Fishing seemed a powerful sort of thing and that use of language seemed so creative. Fish? We might not cook so well or taste as good as fish. But they followed him, expecting just such a call. And uncle Mark learned also to follow him and taught me for a time when I was very small.