January 25, 2015

3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time B

Jonah 3: 1-5, 10; 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31; Mark 1: 14-20

Perhaps one of the phrases that most people hear from people close to them is: ‘You are not listening to me’…or ‘you do not understand what I said’ or ‘are you listening to what I said or what you want to hear?’

I do believe that people come to the Scriptures with the same kind of ‘spiritual deafness’ that is a part of their everyday life. I do. Sometimes I believe too much in the phase that I was born to live and that I live my life with no ‘planning’ for the life hereafter. The simple question that I only like to hear when there is an intellectual ‘debate’ is … ‘how would I live my life if I believed that time was running out?’ This is a ‘nice’ debate question BUT, it is a real-life question. It is a question to ASK myself and APPLY the RESPONSES that I come up with. It is not a debate question.

The short synopsis from the ORDO about today’s readings says: “The Ninevites heard the preaching of Jonah and repented of their evil ways, (First Reading) thus experiencing the Lord’s compassion, (Psalm Response). Do we repent when we hear the preaching of Jesus? (Gospel). Do we invest our lives in the world rather than in God’s kingdom?” (Second Reading).

The First Reading is taken from the prophet Jonah. Now the previous passages in this short book show that this was really the second commission that Jonah had received from the Lord. A little background: Nineveh was a great city, it was the capital city of Assyria, Israel’s archenemy. And Jonah did not like what the Lord wanted him to do and he did not want to offer the Citizens of Nineveh an opportunity to experience God’s mercy. So he ran away, got on a ship. A fierce storm arose and the sailors blamed it on Jonah and threw him overboard. “But the Lord sent a large fish that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah prayed was is known as a Psalm of Thanksgiving, (Jonah 2: 3-11). So Jonah started on his way through Nineveh and his preaching was successful, even the royal court responded, enforcing acts of penitence on the entire population and even their livestock. This post-exilic story reminded the Jewish people that God’s judgment and mercy extend beyond Israel to include all people even a nation as wicked as Assyria. What a lesson for me to reflect on: God’s mercy extends to everyone. Does my mercy do the same?

In the second reading, Paul is writing the Corinthians and insists that earthly activities have only relative value. Though they have their importance, it must be remembered that each person is to prepare for a better life, the life of heaven that God intends for each person. As a result, I have to know that the world as I know it is ending. It will be replaced by the new kingdom of God. As Alice Camille in Exploring the Sunday Readings says, “It seems no matter where we go, we’re always on the clock. At work, the hours are at least counted and compensated. At home, we log endless more hours responding to the routines of homemaking and the needs of family life…Time is brief for mortals, because these bodies aren’t meant to last more than a century and often expire far short of that. If we intend to go somewhere, we better get on with it. If there’s someone inside us we’re meant to be, today is a good day to start being that person.” The question I have to ask myself is whether the person I am matches the person I long to be? Does it match the person God needs me to be?

Mark shares in the Gospel that after John the Baptist had been arrested by Herod, Jesus started proclaiming this message: This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Jesus is speaking to me! He is telling me to get moving. He’s telling me to fall in step behind Him. It’s now or never!

SO WHAT IS SLOWING ME UP?

WHY DO I FEEL THAT I STILL HAVE TIME?

The Old Testament and the New Testament are calling me and each person to change our lives…I must reform the way I act and conform it to the way that Jesus showed me. AND ISN’T EVEN LENT YET. Why do I feel that I can start it in the season of ‘reform?’ Now is the time. AND repenting and reforming require external expression in the form of specific actions. WHAT am I going to do?

Simon, Andrew, James and John in today’s Gospel give a good hint of the importance of Jesus’s proclamation that “the kingdom of God is at hand.” When Jesus calls, they drop what they are doing and follow Him. Basically no one wants to do this, I am too often hesitant. I like what I am doing…why do I have to change…Can I choose what part of God’s plan I would like to do?

Connections The newsletter of ideas, resources and information for homilists and preachers says, “Being the ‘fisher’ that Jesus calls us to become does not require us to cast our nets very far. The wisdom and values we instill in our children, the help we offer to neighbors and friends, our contributions to the life of our church and community, realize the vision Jesus articulates in today’s Gospel. Christ entrusts to each one of us the work of discipleship: to extend, regardless of our own limits and circumstances, the love of God to all; to proclaim, in our own homes and communities, the compassion and justice of the Gospel; to take on God’s work of reconciliations and forgiveness among all His sons and daughters. As God is present to us in the person of Jesus, we are called to be present to one another in His love and care.”

So I reflect on:

• What determines who gets my mercy and receives my judgment?
• What prevents me from responding to Jesus’ summons with the immediacy of the disciples in the Gospel?
• When Jesus called the disciples they left ‘everything’…what do I want to hang on to? What do I want to carry with me to heaven?
• Does being a good Christian mean discipleship will be an easy task?
• When I am in the middle of something and asked to stop and do something else, how do I respond? Does it depend on what I am doing? Does it depend on who asks? Do I ever hear the voice asking as the ‘voice of God’
• At this point in my life, what are some of the things that I have left behind to follow Christ? What am I still hanging on to that I know deep inside that someday I have to let go of?
• How do I experience God calling me now?

Sacred Space 2015 says:

Jesus begins His ministry by calling a group to follow Him. He gives His disciples a mission—to catch people for the kingdom of God. He chooses as His companion’s very ordinary people, people with no wealth or position. They risk all for Jesus.

Lord, You continue to call ordinary people, like me. In all my human interactions may I bring Your Good News to others.”