 |
Just A Minute (Listen) Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click. |
Posted on 01/24/2015 10:49:05 PM PST by Salvation
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Jonah 3:1-5,10 II: 1 Cor 7:29-31
14 After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God.
15 He said, "This is the time of fulfillment; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News".
16 As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake, for they were fishermen.
17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men".
18 At once, they left their nets and followed him.
19 Jesus went a little farther on and saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee; they were in their boat mending their nets.
20 Immediately, Jesus called them and they followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men.
A new world (the Kingdom of God) has arrived. That new world comes in the person of Jesus. We are asked to respond by changing our way of life, and to follow Him.
-- Saint Ananias of Damascus from Acts 9:17
|
Just A Minute (Listen) Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click. |
|
|
|
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. |
The Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle
Feast Day
January 25th
Year of Saint Paul
June 28, 2008-June 29, 2009
The Conversion of Saul
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
1542-45
Fresco, 625 x 661 cm
Cappella Paolina, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican
The conversion of Saul of Tarsus while he was on his way to Damascus is one of the most touching miracles in the history of the early Church. It shows us how faith comes from grace and from one's free cooperation. The doctrine on the Mystical Body of Christ receives proof and a clear illustration when Christ says, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" We should realize that the best way to hasten the unity of all Christians is to foster our own daily personal conversion.
Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003
Collect:
O God, who taught the whole world
through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul,
draw us, we pray, nearer to you
through the example of him whose conversion we celebrate today,
and so make us witnesses to your truth in the world.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.
First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 22:3-16
"I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamali-el, educated according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as you all are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brethren, and I journeyed to Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
"As I made my journey and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?' And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.' Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the One who was speaking to me. And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.' And when I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
"And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And in that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, 'The God of our fathers appointed you to know His will, to see the Just One and to hear a voice from His mouth; for you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'
Alternative First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 9:1-22
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to Him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul; for behold, he is praying, and he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My name." So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized, and took food and was strengthened.
For several days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And in the synagogues immediately he proclaimed Jesus, saying, "He is the Son of God." And all who heard him were amazed, and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called on this name? And he has come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests." But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
Gospel Reading: Mark 16:15-18
He[Jesus] said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Related links on the Vatican Website:
Benedict XVI, General Audience, Saint Peter's Square, Wednesday, October 25, 2006, Paul of Tarsus
| Mark | |||
| English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
| Mark 1 |
|||
| 14. | And after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, | Postquam autem traditus est Joannes, venit Jesus in Galilæam, prædicans Evangelium regni Dei, | μετα δε το παραδοθηναι τον ιωαννην ηλθεν ο ιησους εις την γαλιλαιαν κηρυσσων το ευαγγελιον της βασιλειας του θεου |
| 15. | And saying: The time is accomplished, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel. | et dicens : Quoniam impletum est tempus, et appropinquavit regnum Dei : pœnitemini, et credite Evangelio. | και λεγων οτι πεπληρωται ο καιρος και ηγγικεν η βασιλεια του θεου μετανοειτε και πιστευετε εν τω ευαγγελιω |
| 16. | And passing by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea (for they were fishermen). | Et præteriens secus mare Galilææ, vidit Simonem, et Andream fratrem ejus, mittentes retia in mare (erant enim piscatores), | περιπατων δε παρα την θαλασσαν της γαλιλαιας ειδεν σιμωνα και ανδρεαν τον αδελφον αυτου του σιμωνος βαλλοντας αμφιβληστρον εν τη θαλασση ησαν γαρ αλιεις |
| 17. | And Jesus said to them: Come after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. | et dixit eis Jesus : Venite post me, et faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum. | και ειπεν αυτοις ο ιησους δευτε οπισω μου και ποιησω υμας γενεσθαι αλιεις ανθρωπων |
| 18. | And immediately leaving their nets, they followed him. | Et protinus relictis retibus, secuti sunt eum. | και ευθεως αφεντες τα δικτυα αυτων ηκολουθησαν αυτω |
| 19. | And going on from thence a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were mending their nets in the ship: | Et progressus inde pusillum, vidit Jacobum Zebedæi, et Joannem fratrem ejus, et ipsos componentes retia in navi : | και προβας εκειθεν ολιγον ειδεν ιακωβον τον του ζεβεδαιου και ιωαννην τον αδελφον αυτου και αυτους εν τω πλοιω καταρτιζοντας τα δικτυα |
Feast Day: January 25
Another Paul - Discovery of 6th Century Image of the Apostle in Catacombs of St. Gennaro in Naples
Send us your favorite St. Paul quote [Ecumenical]
Paul and the Eucharist
Vatican used nighttime mission to gather relics from St. Paul's tomb
The Early Christians of Philippi
Benedict says bones may belong to St Paul
New Discoveries. Why St. Paul Was Given a Philosopher's Face
Basilica bones are St Paul's, Pope declares after carbon dating tests
Oldest Icon of St. Paul Discovered
Pope: St. Paul's Remains Found in Basilica
Rome Catacomb Reveals "Oldest" Image of St Paul
Rome Catacomb Reveals "Oldest" Image Of St Paul
Pope: Scientific analysis done on St. Paul's bones
Oldest Icon of St. Paul Discovered
On St. Paul and Justification
On St. Paul and the Second Coming
On St. Paul and the Resurrection
On St. Paul and the Cross
On Paul's Christology
On How St. Paul Knew Christ
St. Paul's Teaching on the Church
On Paul's Dealings With Peter
On Paul and the Other Apostles
On Paul, an Apostle of Christ
St. Paul's Faith Based Not on Conversion of Thought, but Personal Meeting With Christ, Pope Says
Paul's Conversion
[St.] Paul's Biography
On Paul's World and Time Period
Pope Benedict said to plan examination of St. Paul
The Conversion of St. Paul
Remains of St. Paul may have been found
Paul's Teaching on the Church
Vatican archaeologists unearth St. Paul's tomb
Paul's Teaching on the Holy Spirit
Paul of Tarsus, Continued: He Lives From Christ and With Christ
Paul of Tarsus: Be Imitators of Me, As I Am of Christ
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL
St. Paul's Vision
Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul -- January 25
Original Sin According to Saint Paul
St. Paul the Eccentric
Sunday, January 25
Liturgical Color: White
Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St.
Paul. He persecuted Christians until a vision
of Jesus caused him to convert. He went on
to be one of the greatest missionaries of the
Church. Many of his letters have become
books in the Bible.
Daily Readings for:January 25, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
RECIPES
o Fall or Winter Sunday Dinner Menu
ACTIVITIES
PRAYERS
o Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 1
o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (1st Plan)
o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd Plan)
· Ordinary Time: January 25th
· Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: Third Sunday after Epiphany
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they abandoned their nets and followed him (Mark 1:16-19).
Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul which is superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.
Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Jonah 3:1-5, 10 and tells the story of Jonah's call from God to go to a pagan city and preach repentance to the sinful people there.
The second reading is from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. St. Paul admonishes his converts to do what our Lord himself advised his follower—always to be ready for the judgment.
The Gospel is from Mark 1:14-20. Jesus came to announce to all men the good news of God's eternal plan for them. He spent his public life convincing the Jews of Palestine of the truth of this message, and he died on the cross because he claimed to be that he was God's divine Son, who had come in human nature to raise all men to the standing and status of adopted sons of God. That very death, cruel and unjust though it was, was part of the divine plan. He conquered death and was raised from the grave to prove that we too, if we accept his divine gospel and live by it, will be raised from the dead and reign with Christ in the kingdom of his Father forever. Christ preached this doctrine in Palestine. It is the doctrine for which he gave his human life and which he gave to his Apostles to hand down to all future generations. This is the self-same doctrine preached by Christ's Church to all men today. It is the good news of God's mercy and love toward us weak, mortal creatures. To some it seems too good to be true; it would indeed be so if God were a limited, finite being like us, but he is Being itself. He is without limit, his goodness and love are limitless as is his nature. What God can see in creatures has ever been a puzzle to thinking man. One of the psalm-writers said centuries ago: "What is man that you should spare a thought for him, the son of man that you should care for him" (Ps. 8 :4)? Many a saint too, has repeated this remark ever since.
We cannot hope to fathom the mind of God, nor do we need to. He has gone to such a length as the humiliation of his divine Son in the incarnation in order to give us a new standing in relation to himself and a new mode of eternal living after death. We are still God's creatures, "the work of his hands," but through accepting Christ and his gospel—his message of divine truth—we are no longer mere mortals. We shall die, but death is the beginning of the true life which God has arranged for us. It is no wonder that St. Paul could cry out: "O death where is your victory, O death, where is your sting?"
We Christians should be the happiest people on earth. We know why we are here, we know where we are going and we know how to get there. There are trials and troubles which beset us on our journey; there are rough parts of the road and weaknesses in our human nature which often lead us off the right road, but we are not left to our own human resources. We have help from above to strengthen and comfort us on our journey. We have divine aids in the Church which Christ set us and we have the guarantee of our Good Shepherd that he will keep us in his fold or bring us back should we foolishly wander from it (Jn. 10: 14; Lk. 1.5:4-7).
We Christians can indeed be the happiest people on earth, if we live according to the divine good news revealed to us through Christ. "Repent and believe in the gospel," Christ told the people of Galilee. The same call goes out from our loving Savior to each of us today: repent—change your outlook on life— and see it as God sees it to be for us, a short journey toward heaven. If we really believe in the gospel of Christ, the revelation of God's plan for our eternal happiness, our earthly troubles will look small, our trials and temptations will appear to us as they really are—a means of earning the eternal victory. Christ, the innocent victim for our salvation, has gone before us, carrying his heavy cross; can we refuse to carry the relatively lighter cross which he places on our shoulders as our means of making atonement for our own failings and for those of our fellowmen? God forbid that we should! If we have failed in the past, let us repent today and show our belief in the truth of the Christian gospel, by living as true Christians who are on their way to heaven.
— Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Day Eight: Many believed because of the woman’s testimony (John 4:39)
God, spring of living water, Make of us witnesses of unity through both our words and our lives. Help us to understand that we are not the owners of the well, And give us the wisdom to welcome the same grace in one another. Transform our hearts and our lives So that we might be genuine bearers of the Good News. And lead us always to the encounter with the other, As an encounter with you. We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, In the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Mark 1:17)
Fishing seems relatively easy, doesn’t it? You throw a line into the water and hope a fish will bite the hook. But that simple notion undermines the skill necessary to be a true fisherman. When people pay thousands of dollars to enter national fishing contests, they aren’t depending on simple luck. They’re counting on the skills they have learned over a long period of time.
Similarly, when Jesus told Simon and Andrew and the others, “I will make you fishers of men,” he meant that he wanted to teach them the art of evangelization (Mark 1:17). And that’s what he wants to do with us as well. He wants to teach us how to reach people with the good news.
If you want to be a fisherman for Christ, you first have to know your “fish.” You have to know that many of them have a hard time seeing the beauty of the gospel because they are distracted by so many other things. You have to know that sin may have hardened the hearts of some. But you also have to know that God’s grace can penetrate the veil over any person’s heart—as long as you, the fisherman, remain humble and open to his grace.
So here are three suggestions that will help make you into a vessel of grace: First, ask God to give you a desire to share his good news. Second, find the courage to ask people, even strangers, “Can I pray with you about anything?” You’d be surprised at how many people are open to a quiet, nonthreatening invitation. Third, invite people to join you at Mass. Offer to come and get them if they can’t make it on their own. Take them out to breakfast afterward. Become a friend, and your love for Christ will rub off on them.
Three simple steps. Three simple ways to let the grace of the Holy Spirit work through you. So it isn’t too hard to be a fisherman after all!
“Lord Jesus, make me a vessel of your grace.”
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalm 25:4-9
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
(Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalm 25:4-9; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20)
1. In the first reading, when the people of Nineveh heard Jonah’s warning of God’s impending judgment on their city, they believed the words and repented of their sins. Why do you think the Ninevites believed Jonah’s message? (Hint: “The word of the Lord came to Jonah” (Jonah 3:1)
2. In the responsorial psalm, the psalmist prays and asks the Lord to guide him, make known to him, and teach him: “your ways,” “your paths,” and “your truth”. One way for this to happen in each of our lives is to have a specific time each day when we pray and try to “listen” to the Lord? How important to you is it to have a daily time of prayer. What are some of the obstacles to this in your life and how can you overcome them?
3. How important to you is it to turn to the Lord during the day and ask him to guide you? What are some of the obstacles to this in your life and how can you overcome them?
4. St. Paul’s words in the second reading (1 Corinthians 7:29-31) may seem harsh and impractical to us today. What message do you believe Paul was trying to convey in these words? In what ways can we apply the principle put forth in his message to our own lives today?
5. In the Gospel reading, Jesus, like Jonah in the first reading, preached a message of repentance. Unlike the people of Nineveh, many people rejected his message. Jesus pointed to this fact as well in Matthew 12:41: “The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.” Why do you think people would reject Jesus’ message of repentance, but not Jonah’s?
6. What did Jesus mean, in the Gospel reading, when he said to his disciples, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). In what ways do you believe that God has also called you to be his witness and be “fishers of men”? What are some obstacles that keep you from answering this call of evangelization?
7. In the meditation, we hear these words, “If you want to be a fisherman for Christ, you first have to know your “fish.” What do these words mean to you?
8. What steps, described in the meditation, are you willing to take now to share the good news with others?
9. Take some time now to pray and ask the Lord to give you a spirit of evangelism, ears to hear his voice, and the courage to say yes to his will and act on it. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.
DISCIPLES FOR THE KINGDOM
(A biblical refection on the THIRD ORDINARY SUNDAY [YEAR B], 25 January 2015)
Gospel Reading: Mark 1:14-20
First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalms: Psalm 25:4-9; Second Reading: 1Corinthians 7:29-31
The Scripture Text
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed Him. (Mark 1:14-20 RSV)
The mission of Jesus was about the Kingdom of God. He began His preaching with this message: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). What is this Kingdom? Forget all your ideas of lines on a map or borders or armies and territorial possession. The Kingdom is about allegiance of the human heart to the mind and commandments of God.
Whose way do you follow, which value-system do you live by? Is your heart set on the ways of self-seeking and self-gratification? Is your life given over to the ways of wealth, power and sensuality, even when these transgress the ways of love? The rule of the heart which Jesus called for is a return to the ways of God. Wherever God’s love is reflected in the values of life, there God is King. And that is the Kingdom of God. To establish this Kingdom was the major mission of Jesus. And so, He began to preach on the need to repent and believe: to change direction from the ways of sinful selfishness and to set one’s ambition towards God-centered patterns of thought and behavior.
But Jesus knew that the establishment of the Kingdom would be a process of slow growth. His own work would need to be extended in time through the voices of many others. So, from the very beginning of His own mission He began to prepare the community of disciples to continue and extend His own ministry. The Kingdom would need the Church. The story of the Church, then, develops from the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus.
The call to repent and believe was given flesh and blood when the first disciples left their nets and families to follow after Jesus. The road ahead of them would show up many forms of misunderstanding and any occasions of weakness. But for the moment, what is important is that the journey begins in an invitation from Jesus. This was not the usual way with Jewish rabbis. People usually sought out the teacher, asked questions about his interpretation of the Law and might then decide to follow that rabbi. But here it is the teacher who takes the initiative and invites the disciples to follow Him.
The first four to be called were fishermen. Two were casting their nets in the lake, while two were on the home-shore mending nets. He promised to make them into fishers of men. Casting and mending …… corresponding to the twin works of the apostolate, mission and maintenance. Both works are needed.
Mission is the zeal to go to those who do not belong to the Kingdom, either because they have never properly heard Christ’s message or because they have fallen away. Maintenance, mending the nets on the home-shore, means the routine tasks of serving those who are already disciples. Casting the nets will be more profitable when they have been properly maintained. And the task of mending achieves its purpose when they are ready for casting. Missionary zeal can grow only out of well-maintained home base. But the home Church will be unhealthy if it does not share its relationship with Jesus through mission to others.
If you are today a disciple of Jesus it is because somewhere along your road of life you have heard the call to follow His way. But He did not call you to a cozy, private religion. You are called to be a disciple for the Kingdom. The Church exists for the sake of the Kingdom or reign of God in the hearts of all. A disciple for the Kingdom reaches out with the message of Christ to others, casting nets far and wide; and also helps to mend the torn nets and broken lives of those on the home-shore.
Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for making me one of Your disciples, to reach out with Your message of Love to others. Lord, teach me to love others according to Your will. Amen.
Source: Fr. Sylvester O’Flynn OFMCap., The Good News of Mark’s Year, pages 149-150.
Daily Marriage Tip for January 25, 2015:
“Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” (Mk 1:17) Christ is continually calling us to follow him. To what is He calling you and your spouse to right now?
January 25, 2015
Click here for USCCB readings
Opening Prayer
First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5
Psalm:
25:4-9Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Gospel Reading: Mark 1:14-20
QUESTIONS:
Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 541, 1422-1424, 1427-1429, 787 Having before you many examples of sinners who repented and were saved, be you also earnest in confessing to the Lord, that you may receive pardon for past sins, be made worthy of the heavenly gift, and inherit the kingdom of heaven with all the saints. -St. Cyril of Jerusalem (+ A.D. 386)
Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 01.22.15 |
Readings:
Jonah 3:1-5,10
Psalm 25:4-9
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark 1:14-20
The calling of the brothers in today’s Gospel evokes Elisha’s commissioning by the prophet Elijah (see 1 Kings 19:19-21).
As Elijah comes upon Elisha working on his family’s farm, so Jesus sees the brothers working by the seaside. And as Elisha left his mother and father to follow Elijah, so the brothers leave their father to come after Jesus.
Jesus’ promise - to make them “fishers of men” - evokes Israel’s deepest hopes. The prophet Jeremiah announced a new exodus in which God would send “many fishermen” to restore the Israelites from exile, as once He brought them out of slavery in Egypt (see Jeremiah 16:14-16).
By Jesus’ cross and resurrection, this new exodus has begun (see Luke 9:31). And the apostles are the first of a new people of God, the Church - a new family, based not on blood ties, but on belief in Jesus and a desire to do the Father’s will (see John 1:12-13; Matthew 12:46-50).
From now on, even our most important worldly concerns - family relations, occupations, and possessions - must be judged in light of the gospel, Paul says in today’s Epistle.
The first word of Jesus’ gospel - repent - means we must totally change our way of thinking and living, turning from evil, doing all for the love of God.
And we should be consoled by Nineveh’s repentance in today’s First Reading. Even the wicked Nineveh could repent at Jonah’s preaching. And in Jesus we have a greater than Jonah (see Matthew 12:41). We have God come as our savior, to show sinners the way, as we sing in today’s Psalm. This should give us hope - that loved ones who remain far from God will find compassion if they turn to Him.
But we, too, must continue along the path of repentance - striving daily to pattern our lives after His.
Jon 3: 1-5, 101 Cor 7: 29-31
Mk 1: 14-20
The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/012515.cfm
It may not be often that we acquaint the Bible with humorous stories but this weekend in our first reading we hear from the Book of Jonah, which scholars have always seen not as a literal relating of facts but as a tongue in cheek satirical story about ancient Israel and their naïve conception of what God is like, and who’s in and who’s out.
The surprising twist takes place when God changes his mind as the Ninevites repent and the joke is on Jonah. Humor is also found in several of the parables which Jesus must have told with a smile on his face. For example read Luke 18: 1-8 about the woman who demanded her rights before the judge who proclaimed, literally: “Give her what she wants before she punches me in the eye!”
This Sunday’s first reading from Jonah relates a story of repentance as does the Gospel. Jonah is called by God to warn the pagan Ninevites: ““Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” With a kind of glee before God, Jonah is convinced the Ninevites would never repent and now dares God as he intends to prove his point. He is pleased that God will destroy these pagans. Then, to his wonder, they repent and God changes his mind! You can imagine old Jonah standing there with his mouth agape and a look of confusion.
“What a minute, Lord,” you can hear Jonah say in embarrassment. “You sent me to warn them of impending destruction and now you change your mind? Where does that leave me since I put my life on the line here?”
Why does God “change his mind?” Because, as one scholar stated: “God doesn’t have to be faithful to God’s word as long as God is faithful to God’s people.” He saw the repentance of the Ninevites and his divine hope for their salvation was realized since God desires relationship with us far more than he does our abandonment or destruction.
So, thank God, he changed his mind and it became a new understanding for Jonah about God’s abundant mercy, which was a lesson for the nation of Israel (who Jonah symbolizes in the satirical book) that God loves not only them but all who would come to him in repentance. By such their own myopic view of God was challenged.
This takes us to the Gospel story of Jesus’ call: “This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark connects this beginning of Jesus’ core message in his preaching to that of John the Baptist. Jesus takes up where John left off and expands God’s invitation to come to this new way of life through personal conversion.
With that, Jesus is next seen walking along the Sea of Galilee and calls to himself his first disciples: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And so the fishermen Andrew, Simon, James and John, so engrossed in their profession, drop everything instantly, which is amazing in itself if that is exactly what happened, and follow Jesus. Last Sunday we heard John’s version of this same event in (Jn 1:35-42) but John emphasized more the invitation to come into a deeper relationship with Jesus: “Come and you will see.”
An interesting strong possibility that may answer our amazement at the seemingly instantaneous response to Jesus’ call from these fishermen is the distinct possibility that they already knew Jesus. A strong tradition holds that after Jesus’ baptism he became a follower of John the Baptist and might have been engaged in a shared baptismal ministry along with John. Yet, among John’s early disciples were these fishermen as we heard last Sunday: Andrew, Simon, James and John. Thereby they were already acquainted with Jesus.
Now that John is gone, Jesus’ takes up John’s mission, as we hear in his similar call to repentance. These former disciples of John, who have searched for a new John, find him in Jesus – at least to begin with. News spread quickly in those days through the gossip lines for there was no other way to inform others of “breaking news” events as we speak today.
So, this Sunday Mark emphasizes the early disciples’ response and how that response was one without hesitation and filled with what must have been eagerness and curiosity. Did they know what they were getting in to? Of course not – how could they? Jesus didn’t promise anything at this point; he simply called them to follow but where and to what?
To be Christian, to be formed by a new vision of God, as Jonah discovered, and to then go on mission to a world so dark and divided by confusion, pride, hatred, and prejudice. That God’s mercy and forgiveness, which is the heart of Christianity, is available for all who would embrace their own invitation to follow the Lord, regardless of who they are. Our response should be one of no hesitation to take up the same baton. Like passing the Olympic torch from one runner to another we now carry that light from those before us.
It’s a powerful moment in the beginning of the Gospel stories and that of Jesus’ now public ministry. From obscurity in Nazareth this charismatic and mysterious preacher appears along the Sea of Galilee not to fish for fish but to fish for people, when he invites others to join him in this cause.
Our own invitation may have come to us through far different events but nonetheless is the same: conversion of heart and life in order to embrace the Good News of the Gospel and to call others to do the same.
In our vocations, from the word vocare, meaning to call, we are invited as married persons, as ordained ministers, as consecrated religious men and women, and as single people to a common mission which we live out in and through the Christian lifestyle we have embraced and in the family of the Church, the People of God. None of us is exempt and through our common baptism, like Christ himself who showed us the way, our lives involve the same mission which Jesus’ began.
When we come for the Eucharist each weekend, our particular state in life does not matter in the same way it does beyond the borders of our Churches. Here, gathered for Word and Sacrament, we are one regardless of our economic status, politics, language, color of our skin, or whether we are male or female, young or old. We all have a common mission to fulfill and we are privileged to share in Jesus’ own invitation.
Let’s not be like Jonah; surprised that God is merciful and forgiving to all who seek him. It will challenge our own views and our own narrow prejudices for all have a share in his kingdom.
"Open our eyes
to the needs of our brothers and sisters'
inspire in us words and actions
to comfort those who labor and are burdened.
Make us serve them truly,
after the example of Christ and at his command.
And may your Church stand as a living witness
to truth and freedom,
to peace and justice,
that all people may be raised up to a new hope."
(From Eucharistic Prayer for use in Various needs, #4)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
