Catechism Links [1]
CCC 51-64:
God’s plan of Revelation
CCC 1427-1433:
Inner, ongoing conversion
CCC 1886-1889:
Conversion and society
 |
“The Calling of St. Peter and St. Andrew”
by Jacob Willemsz De Wet, the Elder, c. 1660 |
Readings
for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings
from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
The word of the
LORD came to Jonah, saying:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD'S bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast
and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Jon
3:1-5, 10
Following his miraculous rescue from the belly
of the great fish, the prophet Jonah is sent to Nineveh, a traditional enemy of
his people, the Jews. He is sent to spread the news that the city would be
destroyed unless all of the residents of the city repented of their ways. It is
not mentioned in this reading, but Jonah was sure he would fail, and the city
would be destroyed. This reading describes his unexpected success and God’s
subsequent redemption.
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (4a) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Your
ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Remember
that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good
and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice
and teaches the humble his way.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Ps
25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The sinful
psalmist prays that “your ways” be made known. This request directs us
to repentance and ultimately guides us to justice. In the first strophe of this
hymn, we hear support for our belief that God answered the prayers of our
ancient ancestors. Their trust was justified. The song continues as an
individual prayer asking for guidance and salvation.
-------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
I tell you,
brothers and sisters, the time is running out.
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping,
those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully.
For the world in its present form is passing away.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
1 Cor
7:29-31
St. Paul is answering questions put to him by the Corinthians
(1
Corinthians 7:1-11:1). In this short passage we see the apostle's vision that the
Eschaton is coming soon, that Christ’s second coming is imminent, to take place
before their deaths (“For the world in its present form is passing away.”).
His advice here has two levels of meaning. Understood from the perspective of
the imminent return of Christ, the members of the community are to rejoice
in the coming salvation. “The world . . . is passing away: Paul
advises Christians to go about the ordinary activities of life in a manner different
from those who are totally immersed in them and unaware of their
transitoriness.” [5] Understood
in a later period, he is echoing Christ’s urgency to reform, not to delay for “you
know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew
25:13).
CCC:
1 Cor 7:31 1619
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 1:14-20
After John had
been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."
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.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Mk
1:14-20
It is noteworthy to observe that all of the Gospel accounts
show Jesus beginning his public ministry after the active ministry of St. John
the Baptist has ended. The “Voice” decreases while the “Word” increases
(see John
3:30). We see the charismatic power of the Lord in
the call of the first disciples from St. Mark’s Gospel. They follow him without
inducement beyond his simple invitation to follow him. It is also notable that
three of these first four, Simon, James, and John, develop the closest
relationships with the Lord of all the disciples. From other Gospel sources (John 1:35-42), we know that Andrew was a disciple of St. John the Baptist
and would have shared Jesus' status with his brother, Simon (Peter).
CCC:
Mk 1:15 541,
1423, 1427; Mk 1:16-20 787
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Sacred
Scripture places before us the stories of how God calls individuals to his
service. In the first reading from
Jonah, the prophet has gone through a conversion experience. He has been
rescued by God from certain death and sent on a specific mission – to call the
people of Nineveh to repentance. Earlier
in the story, when Jonah heard the call to go to Nineveh, we are told that
Jonah is skeptical of his success. The
people of Nineveh are traditional enemies of the Hebrews, and we can almost
hear Jonah’s thoughts: they will reject the demand of the Lord and God’s
justice will wipe them from the earth.
However, when they hear the word of God, the call is answered. The
people are saved.
The
Gospel tells us about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry from St. Mark’s
account. We hear the Lord’s mission unfold in what sounds very similar to the
call of John the Baptist, at least at first. “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
However,
we immediately see something amazing. As Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee he
calls to Simon and Andrew who are fishing. Mark does not give us the
relationship between St. Andrew and St. John the Baptist that we hear in St.
Luke’s Gospel. In Mark we are just told that he calls to them: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers
of men.” They “left their nets”;
they dropped their means of livelihood, essentially the most important things
they owned, and followed him. Walking further Jesus encounters James and John,
the sons of Zebedee. Again, he calls to them. There is no explanation, just “he called them,” and they left their
father, their family and followed him.
We
begin to see the cost of discipleship in this short story. In no uncertain
terms we are shown that the Lord’s most favored disciples did not need to be
convinced by rhetoric or won over by long friendship. They heard the voice of
Jesus and left all that was important in their lives, their professions. and
their families, to follow him.
The
lessons we hear today take the spiritual growth we have built during the
previous seasons (Advent and Christmas) of this year and push it to the next
level. We have heard the Lord’s call. Now what shall we do? Our prayer today is
that, like those first disciples, we can hear the Lord’s voice and place his
mission first, before work and even before family, in our hearts.
Pax
In other years on January 21st: Memorial
of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2]
The picture used is “The Calling of St. Peter and St. Andrew” by Jacob Willemsz
De Wet, the Elder, c. 1660.
[3]
S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New
American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were
developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.[5]
NAB footnote on 1 Cor 7:29-31.
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