he got up and followed him 

“Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.” (LK 5: 27-28) 

This extremely brave decision—“leaving everything behind”—started with a simple step: “he got up.” Our days could be amazing or ordinary, could be fantastic or average, could be wonderful or horrible—very often the way in which we will spend a day comes from a very simple step—“get up.” We can get up with a vision of service to our spouses or with a vision of being served. 

“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live.” (Gospel Acclamation)