HOW PROMPTLY WILL YOU FOLLOW?
People of God, today we begin to read the Gospel according to Mark. Mark’s message is precise and direct to the point. Therefore, attention must be paid to every minute detail. The flow of Mark’s account of the Gospel will be interrupted by Lent and Easter seasons. But it will accompany us through the Ordinary Time of year B.
Today the context of our reflection is set in Galilee where three things happened – namely; 1) John the Baptist has been arrested never to return, 2) Jesus begins the Gospel of repentance leading to the Kingdom of God’s love, (repentance means the opportunity to start anew), 3) Jesus inaugurates the community of believers, calling each from their areas of competence and comport. The importance of today’s Gospel is in the invitation to start life anew which will help us to accept God’s invitation of love – despite our unworthiness. This makes more sense to those Christians who have formed a binding relationship with Jesus. They have come to know Jesus as their Teacher, who teaches the good news of God’s Kingdom by forming a community of God’s people. This community of God’s people are sanctified by Christ himself who takes away everything that estranges us from God and from one another. An important mark of God’s people is communality – the community of believers (communion). The word of Jesus is always clearer in the community of believers not to individuals. That community is what He formed today.
Jesus’ community lives in love, repentance and forgiveness. They live according to His will. His will is always the will of the Father. To belong to God’s people, we must learn to do His will, knowing that His will is not always ours. The will of God is Jonah’s topic for the Church today. Jonah, like many of us, thought that he could use the will of God for personal vendetta as a punishment for those we hate. But God’s mercy, love and forgiveness takes precedence over our revenge. The story of Jonah leads us to understand that if we listen with our minds and repent with our hearts (irrespective of what),God will forgive us and give us a new slate to write our lives anew. So, if today you hear His voice, harden not your heart.
Last week we listened to His voice through people and things around us. Some responded by feeding the hungry at the Catholic Outreach and by marching for the lives of children in the womb. The mission this week – see how prompt you can follow when He calls you – He will call you from what you do.
Your brother and Priest, Father Chrysogonus