“Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, who hast revealed the fishermen as most wise by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit.” The rude fishermen from Galilee were revealed by the God and Lord of all things to be the wisest men of their day, not with the wisdom of the world, but the wisdom of Christ crucified, the wisdom of the Cross. But God’s sending of the Spirit, his revelation of the apostles’ wisdom, was not arbitrary. They were ready for him to act, waiting in the upper room.
So often we wander through our lives like men asleep, thinking only as far as the next mundane task. But Christ calls us always to be awake, watching for the movement of his Spirit, ready for his call—ready to embrace his commission, ready to take up our Cross. At a minimum, let us retreat to the upper room of hearts during times of prayer once or twice daily, reminding ourselves in this small way to be vigilant for opportunities to follow Christ through everyday self-denial, humility, repentance, service, and love.