Anonymous

In a way, that little phrase in Scripture acknowledging them, is a little love letter that God lefts for me to find – twenty centuries later…

Fishers of Men (Unknown)

In the Gospel there are so many instances of anonymous people.  There are so many occasions where unknown people without any names are mentioned in the Gospels…

I was recently reading a passage from the Gospels that mentioned one such unknown person…  “Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, have you any fish?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.” (John 21:1-19).

Saint Josemaría always had great devotion to those unknown and anonymous followers, and he wrote about those “two others of His disciples”.

Thos unknown names and faces that we recall now, give me great hope.  You see, they are unknown as I am unknown.  And yet, there is a heroism in their anonymity.  Even though nobody else remembers their names, Christ knew their names and counted them among His friends.  To Christ they were important and loved and valued. 

And that is how God sees me too.  I am anonymous.  I am not important or famous or clever.  I am a small and simple person.

And yet, God sees me.  And He knows my name.  And though I am nothing in the world, to God I am everything.  Not because He needs me as everything, but because in His perfection, God is able to pour all of His love completely into me – as undeserving as I am – and even then is able to have infinite capacity to love all other souls…

And today, although I pray the prayer of Saint Josemaria, “All with Peter to Jesus through Mary” I am overcome by the love of a God who is so perfect and infinite that He is able to know me by my name – even though I am anonymous to the world.  And when I stop and think about that today I am quite overcome by those unnamed disciples in the boat with Saint Peter.  For surely, they are as precious to God as I am.  And in a way, that little phrase in Scripture acknowledging them, is a little love letter that God lefts for me to find – twenty centuries later…

For what greater love is there than to know a soul completely and to love it anyway…?

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.