As He passed by

“Jesus went out along the sea. All the crowd came to him and he taught them. As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed Jesus.” (MK 2: 13-14)

Now I understand better the English phrase “by the way” because Levi’s vocation was born exactly this way, when Our Lord “passed by, and saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,” and “said to him, ’Follow me.’” No great novena, hundreds of rosaries, special preparation, retreats and spiritual directing. Nothing like this. In passing. God calls us when we are ready and when we are not. Levi “got up and followed Jesus” without any question, any comments, or any assurances that he was completely unworthy and for sure that Jesus should invite somebody else. Jesus said, “he got up.”

“The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.”