Reflections on 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) from “First Impressions”

“FIRST IMPRESSIONS”

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B) JANUARY 21, 2024

Jonah 3: 1-5, 10 / Psalm 25 / I Cor 7: 29-31 / Mark 1: 14-20

by Jude Siciliano, O.P. <jude@judeop.org>

Dear Preachers:

I would think that the last thing in the world Jonah would want to do was to follow God’s command. “Set out for the great city of Nineveh and announce to it the message I will tell you.” We know that because of how the story began (cf. Chapter 1). After receiving God’s directions to go to Nineveh Jonah flees the scene and boards a ship to Tarshish. But God wants him to preach to the Ninevites so we know what happens. God hurls a storm at the boat Jonah is on. It is such a bad storm even the experienced crew are frightened. They realized Jonah was the cause of their misfortune because he is fleeing from God. Jonah knew what they must do—throw him overboard. When they do, the storm ceases, the waters are calm.

Next comes the famous scene. God sends a large fish (2:1) which swallows Jonah and dumps him, where else, but on the shores of the great city of Nineveh; where Jonah was supposed to go in the first place. Doesn’t God have some unusual ways of getting things done?

The Jonah story has been called a fable, farce, satire and even a joke. This improbable story is fun to read. Jonah winds up in the belly of a “great fish”—or as we name it, a whale. Well, God has certainly gotten Jonah’s attention. From the fish Jonah pleads, blames and praises God. Then God commands Jonah again, “Set out for the great city of Nineveh and announce to it the message I will tell you.” And it is a severe message from God that Jonah must preach to the Ninevites, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.”

Jonah’s message to the Ninevites is not very hopeful. There is no offer of mercy in his preaching. Is this the fearful One we stereotypically call, the “Old Testament God?” Is this the God who, at the end of the Old Testament, has a personality change and becomes kind and merciful, the God Jesus brings to us? No! The God of Jonah is the same God of Jesus.

Jonah’s message gets a receptive hearing, the entire city repents. They repent without any great act of faith, just under a threat of destruction. Jonah must have been disappointed. The Ninevites were part of the cruel, conquering Assyrian nation, the enemy of the Israelites, yet God offers them mercy. In fact, after seeing what God had done for the Ninevites, Jonah goes away sulking over God’s kindness to his enemies. Jonah did not want to see God extend mercy to all people— especially to enemies.

As I write this, a few days before Christmas, there have been 20,000 Palestinian casualties in the war between Hamas and Israel. 1200 Israelites were slaughtered in October and over 100 hostages are still being held by Hamas. The Jonah story may be a tall tale, but we get the point: enemies must talk to one another and not first draw arms.

The story shows human vindictiveness displayed in Jonah’s preferring not to fulfill God’s message to his enemies. But we can call God “strong-willed,” persisting against the prophet’s protest. God’s graciousness comes through in the story and triumphs over the prophet’s opposition.

God persisted despite Jonah’s opposition and, we learn, intervenes in sometimes surprising ways to accomplish God’s purposes. The prophet felt justified and expected God’s wrath upon the Ninevites. Instead, God was, and is, merciful and rewards repentance. God’s mercy is not limited to the Israelites, or any other group of people we might want to name, but extends beyond any limits we, like Jonah, want to put on God.

This has been a longer than usual reflection on our text—the first reading. The Book of the Prophet Jonah is only four chapters long, a quick read, but its message is clear. It seriously resists depicting the “God of the Old Testament” as wrathful and judgmental. God, who shines through the brief four chapters of the Book of Jonah is, above all, merciful and loving. The book is not about prophetic utterances, but is a story of a man named Jonah who is not called a prophet in the book. God usually sends prophets to Israel, but Jonah is sent to address the capital of Assyria. Nineveh is a symbol of empire. It was called a “city of blood” by Nahum (Nah 3:1).

Like the ancient Israelites, who suffered under the cruel yoke of the Assyrian Empire, we can be very restrictive about where and how we think God gives mercy. Jonah, nor any of his Israelite contemporaries, would ever have imagined that the people of Nineveh would have heard his message, believed in God and proclaimed a fast. What would also have surprised them was that God would be concerned about the salvation of any other nation than Israel, especially one that had been so brutal.

In the eyes of the Ninevites Jonah would have been considered a prophet from an insignificant nation the Assyrians had conquered. Notice how the Ninevites responded to Jonah’s preaching. It wasn’t just a few conscientious people who took his word to heart and responded but, “all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.”

God “repented” too. God would not follow through with the threat of total destruction. The instrument for the conversion of Nineveh wasn’t the threat of military conquest. Nineveh could repel that. It was the power of God’s word to transform even the biggest sinners. Who would have guessed that the reluctant Jonah would have been such a powerful instrument to preach and convert the Ninevites? Such is the power of the living word of God.

Is listening to that word a source of conversion for us also? Do we pray with the Scriptures; prepare to hear them when we come to Mass; pray to the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to accept God’s call for us in the word? And more… have we noticed how the most unlikely people, like the confused prophet Jonah, can be instruments through whom God reaches out to us with the life-giving, life-changing word of God? Have we noticed?

How receptive are we to the unusual messengers God puts in our lives? It might help us be more receptive if we took home, from today’s celebration, the Responsorial Verse and prayed it, “Teach me your words, O Lord.”

JUSTICE BULLETIN BOARD

“Time is running out”

1 Corinthians 7: 29

These are interesting words to contemplate at the beginning of a new year when one feels like time is just beginning again. Yet, how often in this “new” time period do we find that resolutions made one day are forgotten the next. The word “time” is nuanced in Greek. In today’s Gospel, when Jesus says “This is the time of fulfillment,” he uses the Greek term kairos for “time.” Kairos is “sacred time.” However, the “time” used in the Corinthians passage is different and means “has been drawn together, compacted, made short.” The same word was used in classical Greek for stowing sails, packing luggage, and reducing expenses. Our modern term would be “downsizing.”

Paul addresses five situations of Christian living (those married, those in sorrow, those in joy, business people, and those overusing the world) which should not distract us from our devotion to God. We need a radical perspective about proper priorities in life. We need to trim our life sails, get rid of excess, and simplify our lives in order to clearly establish our life and relationship with our Creator in a changing world.

Imagine making a resolution that would seek to practice the presence of God in your life every day. What would the ramifications of such an attitude produce?

Married people in distress would be more gentle with each other as God is gentle with them.

Those in sorrow would trust that God is also sorrowing with them.

Those in joy would realize that joy is meant to be shared with those less fortunate children of God.

Business people with God on their shoulder would act with integrity in all their transactions.

Those who are using the world’s resources in excess would remember that God appointed each of us to be good stewards of creation.

Time is running out. Want suggestions for re-prioritizing your life’s purpose with God? Check out our website: Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral | Human Life, Dignity & Justice (raleighcathedral.org) for a listing of our outreach ministries. Helping others is a good way to re-prioritize your life, to forget your own troubles, and to find God actively at work. You might also discover who God meant you to be. Have a beautiful year!

Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director,
Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Raleigh, NC

FAITH BOOK

Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run.

From today’s Gospel reading:

As Jesus passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother casting their nets into the sea.…

Jesus said to them, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of people.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.

Reflection:

We hear Jesus’ invitation, “Come follow me,” each day, as life presents us with choices. Shall we forgive when asked? Shall we help someone in need? Shall we buy less for ourselves and give more to the poor? Shall we see the injustice or turn a blind eye? In these, and so many other occasions, we hear the same invitation Jesus made to those fishermen and like them, we put other considerations aside to follow him.

So we ask ourselves:

What recent choices have I made that show my desire to follow Christ? What changes do I have to make in my life to follow him more fully?

Commentary on Mark 1:14–20 from “Living Space”

Commentary on Mark 1:14–20 from “Living Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits

Today we begin our readings from Mark’s gospel and we will be following him for the next several weeks.

Today’s reading follows immediately on the short accounts of Jesus’ baptism and temptations in the desert that Mark gives. It is the beginning of his public ministry. The reading consists of two main parts – a summary of Jesus’ teaching and the first response to it.

As the passage opens we are told that John has been arrested (the reason for his arrest will be given later). The word for ‘arrest’ is literally ‘handed over’, a key word which will be used later of Jesus himself, his disciples and indeed of many others down the centuries. The term is also used in our Eucharist when the celebrant at the consecration says: “This is my Body which will be given up for you.” Our translation of ‘given up’ represents the Latin word tradetur which literally means ‘handed over’. Jesus is daily handed over to us, or rather, he hands himself over to us and expects us to do the same for our brothers and sisters. Jesus begins his ministry by proclaiming the Gospel, the Good News, of God. It is summed up in the words: “The time (kairos) has come and the Kingdom is close at hand. Repent and believe in the Good News.” It is a deceptively simple statement which, in fact, is rich in meaning. One can say that the whole of the Gospel message is contained in those two sentences. We may comment on the following words:

• kairos

• kingdom

• repent

• believe in.

The time of fulfilment: this is a translation of the Greek word Kairos (καιροσ). Kairos refers to a moment when something is ripe to happen, it is a serendipitous moment. And that exactly describes the appearance of Jesus, an appearance which the whole of the Old Covenant has been preparing for and leading up to.

The Kingdom of God is at hand: The whole of Jesus’ message centers around the idea of the ‘Kingdom of God’. It was the coming of that Kingdom which he proclaimed; it was the core of his teaching. Because of Matthew’s use of the term ‘Kingdom of heaven’, there is a possibility that we think of the ‘Kingdom’ as only belonging to the life after death. Nothing could be further from the truth. The word ‘Kingdom’ translates the Greek word basileia (βασιλεια), an abstract noun which is better rendered as ‘kingship’ or ‘reign’. Kingdom here does not refer to a place. It points to the ruling power of God, a power based above all on love. Wherever the love of God prevails in our world we can say that the Kingdom is there. Love essentially involves other people so the Kingdom is not a place or an action but a complex of harmonious and interacting relationships. Jesus came to call every single person to belong to such a world. We need to emphasize that the Kingdom and the Church or the Kingdom and Christianity do not coincide. The role of the Church is to be a sacrament of the Kingdom. It fulfils that role with varying degrees of success. There are Kingdom people everywhere, that is, people who base their lives on love and justice, on peace and freedom who are not Christians at all – but they are Kingdom people because their lives reflectthe spirit of God. Similarly, mere membership of a Christian group does not guarantee one is a Kingdom person.

Repent…: Here we have the basic steps needed to become fully a Kingdom person. First, we need to repent. This is the most common translation of the Greek verb of the word metanoia (μετανοια). It is not a very happy rendering. ‘Repent’ means for most people being sorry for something done in the past. That is not excluded here but metanoia looks much more to the future. Metanoia really means a radical change in one’s thinking, in this case, about the meaning and purpose of life and how that life is to be lived. Jesus is calling here for a radical conversion and to take on board his vision of life.

And how is that metanoia to be achieved? By believing in the Gospel. For many Christians, belief means the total acceptance of the teachings of Christ as interpreted for us by the Church. But something more is asked of us here. We are asked not just to believe but to believe IN. It is one thing to believe something as but it may not affect our lives very much. But in calling on us to believe IN the message that the Gospel brings, we are being asked for a total investment of ourselves and not just in accepting doctrines as. We are being called on to living our lives and patterning them on the model of Jesus himself. Again, we will see what that entails as we go through the Gospel in coming weeks. The second part of the reading gives us a dramatic example of some people who did just what Jesus was asking for. As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother, Andrew, who were fishermen, casting their nets into the sea. They were doing their daily work. Jesus said to them: “Come after me and I will make you fishers of people.” There and then, they dropped their nets, their whole means of livelihood and went after Jesus. A little further on Jesus saw two sons of Zebedee, James and John, who were mending their nets. These two Jesus also called. They promptly left their father in the boat with his hired men and followed Jesus. Later Jesus will say, “if you love father, mother more than me you cannot be a disciple”.

Here we have that metanoia, that radical change of life, taking place. They follow Jesus with total trust. As they go off, they have no idea where they are going or what it will entail. They believe IN Jesus, put all their trust in him. They were to meet many trials and tribulations on the way but they never regretted the step they took. Only by following their example will we too have the same experience. The only guarantee we have is that those who did take Jesus’ call seriously and lived it out to the full know that they made the right choice.

Finally, we might say that this story is to be read as a kind of parable. Because we know that later on the disciples will still be in contact with their families and those boats will appear several times in the Gospel story. What is being emphasized here is the total commitment to the Way and vision of Jesus which is symbolized by the total abandoning of the boats and family members.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 14, 2024

Our call is listening to and following Jesus

John 1:35–42

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.

Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Music Meditations

• “The Summons” (John L. Bell) [YouTube]
• “Be Still and Know” (Steven Curtis Chapman) [YouTube]

Opening Prayer

Not to the wise and powerful of this world, O God of all blessedness, but to those who are poor in spirit
do you reveal in Jesus the righteousness of your kingdom.
Gathered here, like the disciples on the shore, we long to listen as Jesus, the teacher, speaks.
By the power of his word, refashion our lives in the pattern of the beatitudes.
We ask this through your son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Companions for the Journey

A homily delivered by Father Brendan McGuire in 2021:

“Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

We tend to listen to those who we like. Whether that is CNN or FOX News;
whether it is ABC or NBC; whether that is President-Elect Biden or President Trump;
whether it is our Uncle Joe or Auntie Betty, whether it is Pope Francis or Rush Limbaugh.
Whoever we like, we tend to listen to. Here is the part that is also true,
we tend to become like them. It makes sense, right? Those to whom we listen and whom we spend time with
and the more time we spend with them, the more we will become like them. It is true for all of us.
Today’s scripture readings are about who we listen to; and then who we follow.
They are about vocational calls. We have this beautiful text from the first reading,
which is the call of young Samuel as a prophet and judge. He was so young at the time,
he did not even know how to listen well. It took the fourth time of God calling that he listened to him
but even Eli who is the old prophet misunderstood also. We hear that it eventually dawns on Eli, he says,
“Oh the next time you hear, then just say ‘Speak Lord, your servant is listening.’”
In other words, it takes some training to listen well. Even Eli, in the older part of his ministry
is struggling with guiding the young Samuel.
And then in today’s gospel this beautiful exchange with the first disciple who has been called by Jesus.
Andrew is the disciple of John the Baptist and John says, “Look. There is the lamb of God.”
In other words, follow him; listen to him. And they do.
They go and they follow him. And Jesus says, “What do you really want?”
He drew them out of themselves. What were they really wanting?
Were they really wanting to listen and follow? Or just listen from a distance?
He invites them to come and to see, so to listen, to come, to see.
And they liked what they heard. They liked what they saw. And they followed Jesus.
So much so that Andrew runs off and tells his brother, Peter, who of course becomes the leader of the apostles and our first pope.
He obviously listened well.
This challenge of listening is true for all of us. I mean, we can get caught up in lots of different things
but who we listen to, who we spend time with is generally who we follow. And that is true of our faith in a profound way.
And this is the challenge sometimes. We tend to listen to preachers,
even listening to me or listening to someone else
and we want to make sure that who we are listening to is doing what John the Baptist did,
which is pointing to Jesus so that we listen directly to Jesus.
And then hopefully we will like what we hear and then follow Jesus more deeply, more profoundly.
And then do as Andrew did, which is share that message with others. This is this beautiful virtuous circle
that we like what we hear and we share what we hear because it is so powerful because it is so changing.
This liking and following is very much the call of every vocation whether it is as a priest or whether it is as a lay person.
Think about when you met your spouse for the first time, there are those people who see and fall in love at first sight.
That is true. That does happen. Or at first hearing, we hear what they say and we are transfixed by what they say.
And that does happen but for most of us—most of us—we listen and then a bit like Eli we have to listen again and listen again.
And then we like what we hear; or we look; and then look again; and look again.
And then we like what we see. But that is not enough for a marriage or any vocation.
We have to keep looking and keep listening until we fall in love. Now again, I know that can happen and
what we hear today is a very dramatic story in the gospel. It seems to be on the first hearing.
I suspect that these disciples had heard of Jesus and had heard Jesus before but now their hearts were open in a new way.
They move from liking what they saw to loving what they saw and heard. And that is how you come to follow.
Let’s face it, anyone of your marriages starts with that liking but somewhere along the line,
you love who you see and who you hear; and you want to be in their presence as much as possible.
That is what falling in love is all about. And in that loving enterprise, you become more with what you see.
You become like your spouse more and more and they become like you more and more every day.
And that is a good thing, I hope, for both of you.
But it is not magic.
It just doesn’t happen. I mean it is a commitment to listening and spending time with them so that you will follow.
The social media companies have figured this out. That is why they have fed us;
that is why we are in the bit of the trouble we are in because we like what we see or hear and
when then they feed more of us so we have this sort of echo chamber that we just get what we like and then that goes to an extreme.
And what happens is we hear nothing else. Very few of us will listen to people who we do not like;
because we don’t like them we are not going to listen to them. That becomes this echo chamber that is really dangerous.
We have to open our hearts and our minds to those whom we do not like and find out what they have to say that is good.
And acknowledge the good. And if we do not like what others have to say then we need to be able to articulate that in a calm and civil way.
For the purposes of our discipleship, let’s be very clear: We are called to listen to Jesus Christ.
We are called to listen to God’s Son. That is why we call ourselves Christian because we are Christ-followers.

Sometimes, we do not like what Jesus has to say. And the temptation is to turn Jesus off
but then we will not become like him anymore. Oh, we might be a Catholic.
We might be a Christian even but that does not make us true Christ-like people.
That does not make us followers of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. That requires of us, like Eli and Samuel,
a deeper listening; a willingness to spend time with him so that we can answer God just like Samuel did:
“Speak Lord. I am listening. I come to do your will.”
One of the challenges is that we are terrified of giving ourselves over blindly to God’s Will.
What is God’s Will for me? How do I even know what that is? I received a beautiful little reading from Thomas Merton,
the great American Trappist. He says this:
“Doing God’s Will is not giving ourselves over to some divine fate but rather submitting ourselves to the creative action
that God and I will co-create together.” It is a beautiful way to understand that
God does not have this destiny per se for us but that creatively together, by agreeing and
listening to what Jesus has to say to us, what Christ is guiding us to we come to know God’s Will and
together creatively it comes alive in our life; into action and into word that is more like Christ and like God.
In short, what we are called to do is to listen to Jesus even when we do not like what he has to say
because we are called to listen deeper. And then when we spend time, which of course you have heard me say 1,000 times,
spend time in prayer, listening to Jesus but not just in the silence of our own room but in everything that God has in our life;
to our family; to our friends; to every good action that happens God is speaking loudly to us.
Christ helps us to understand what that is.
Then if we do that well, we will become more of what we listen to; we will become more like Christ.
That is the echo chamber that I want to be in. That is the echo chamber I hope that you want to be in;
to listen to Christ well so that I can become more like Christ better each and every day. That is what we do when we come to the Eucharist. We become what we receive. The Body of Christ broken for others. The Blood of Christ poured out for others.
“Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

Further reflection and study:

• Commentary on John 1:35-42 from “Living Space” >>
• Thoughts from Preachers on 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time >>
• “Come and See: An Introduction to the Gospel of Mark”—Bible Study via Zoom—Wednesdays January 17, 24, 31, February 7 [ see event listing >> ]

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

“Come, and you will see.”

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Where is Jesus?
  Where do I think He stays?
  Can He be found in my life?
• Are you searching for something?
  What are the deepest longings of your heart?
  Have you looked for answers in another person, in a life event, or a sudden epiphany?
• What, exactly are you searching for: (answers to a big life question, love, purpose, happiness, money, for example)?
  Or are you not looking for anything new in your life at this time?
• Has there been a teacher in your life who really inspired you to look for something new and different?
  Did you have a personal relationship to this person?
  Was it scary or exhilarating?
  Have you ever been influenced by someone else’s willingness to try something new or to change your mind about something?
• How would you respond, if instead of really answering a question, a person invited you to “come and see”?
  Are there rewards in this leap into to unknown?
  Are there dangers?
• Is it important to you to be a seeker at all times in your life?
  What are you waiting for?
• When was the first time in your life you felt drawn to get to know Jesus better?
  Do you feel that you know Him now?
• We don’t know if Andrew ever preached or led a group; but he changed the course of Jesus’ mission.
  Notice that Peter was brought to Jesus by his brother Andrew, after Andrew had stayed quite a while to learn something about Jesus
• Adapted from Paul Gallagher, OFM (Young Adult Ministry—Spiritual Direction, St. Peter Church, Chicago):
  Do you know the story behind how you were named?
  Do you have a nickname and how did you get it?
  Do you have a nickname that is not known to everyone?
  How is the name an expression of your relationship to the person who gave it to you, to the people who use it?
  What name might Jesus give you right now?
• Adapted from Paul Gallagher:
  If you were Simon, what would you be thinking when you meet Jesus and he says that you are going to be called Peter/Cephas?
• Do I know of anyone whom I might take to meet Jesus?
  Have I ever brought someone to the Church, to Jesus, to a better life?
  Do I realize how important this is?
• Adapted from Paul Gallagher:
  If Jesus would ask you what are you looking for, what would you say?
  Are you looking?
  Where are you looking?
  What behaviors would point to the fact that you are really looking?
• Adapted from Paul Gallagher:
  Is the pattern of John the Baptist, Andrew and Peter in the gospel present in how you have been led at times in your relationship with God?
  Is it true now?
  Could it be how God would like to work in your life now: to lead you to a more intimate relationship with God?
  Are you looking?
• From Barbara Reid, O.P. (Professor of Scripture, Dean at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago):
  Who was instrumental in bringing you to Jesus? Pray in thanksgiving for them.
  Whom do you bring to Jesus?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Adapted from Sacred Space, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

Andrew and his companion set aside their day to be in Jesus’ company. Impressed, they decided to be followers of his. When we meet a new person, we must first give ourselves a change to know them. Then, if we like what we see, we are attracted to everything they stand for. Do we give Jesus a chance in our busy lives so that the attraction of his person can work on us? Jesus’ question to them was very profound: “What are you looking for?” Many would say: “I’m not looking for anything, I am just trying to survive”. But in sober moments we realize that we would like our lives to be more than getting and spending, eating and sleeping. When I ask myself what I am truly looking for, am I ready to hear the answer in my heart? Might it be Jesus? What are the implications of that? How might my life be changed, enriched, or challenged both by the question, and by choosing to follow Jesus? A simple invitation to “come and see” what Jesus is all about challenges us to spend some time in prayer, time with the scriptures and maybe time talking with another about what it really means to follow Jesus. Someone said “you would not be looking for Jesus unless you had already found Him”. Maybe I need to realize that Jesus has already found me…

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Read this poem from an unknown classmate in a graduate course on John, and imagine that Jesus is speaking these words to you:

In the beginning was the Word.
A Word who must be spoken.
A Word spoken into skies.
and called into hills.
Spoken into rivers and fields
A Word Spoken into life
in flowers
in birds
and in every kind of animal.
A Word spoken with love and breathed into
the heart of man and woman
that they might be ready to hear.
And when the time came that all was in readiness,
The Word was spoken into flesh,
spoken to call his own
out of the darkness and into the light.
To those who would know this Word, he beckoned
and still is beckoning—now—to you.
Come, see where I live;
spend your time with me
Be my own,
Be disciple.
Is the question of the first who followed your question still:
Teacher, where do you live in my world?
The answer they heard is the same,
which, in silence you will know:
Come, I will take you there.
I live within your heart.
Your heart that I have seen,
Your heart that I have known
I live there, calling you beyond yourself
Calling you into my own life,
Calling you to the vision of my Father
Calling you to be fishers of people.
Calling you to be disciple.

Poetic Reflection:

from Fr. Michael Kennedy, in “First Impressions” 2006:

“Suddenly It All Makes Sense”

(2nd Sunday Ordinary Time)

Sometime we
Should use the Gospel of
This day to remind ourselves
And others that the fourth
Gospel has the call of Peter
Happening in simple human
Interaction and not from
A trumpet blast or a
Quick appearance of
Gabriel or Raphael
Or even Michael
And we sometimes
Forget that Jesus did not
Just want missionaries since He
Did not just say go and preach and
Baptize to the ends of the earth for
He also said come and be with Me
And let your eyes and hearts be
Opened and this part of the call
To discipleship is every bit as
Important as preaching and
Teaching and baptizing for
Without hospitality the
Message is as phony as
Any contemporary
Promise to solve
Issues of justice
Sometime
Or not
****
And we must
Never forget that it was
The call to come and see that
Got Peter to commit and amazingly
It is what gets us today too for
When we experience the joy of
Feeling at home it is still true
That suddenly it all
Makes sense

— from “Musings from Michael” © Michael J. Kennedy 2006

Closing Prayer

Dear Jesus, we have heard your call and it compels us to follow. Bless me with a clear sense of my call. Make me sensitive to the action of your spirit. Give me wisdom and courage to act on your call on behalf of the people or situations I encounter [Pause to recall the issues you want to pray about.] Give me ears to hear and eyes to see.

Commentary on John 1:35-42 from “Living Space”

Commentary on John 1:35-42

Today we have an introductory encounter between Jesus and his first disciples. The context is somewhat different from that in the other gospels. It is a very meaningful passage.

The revelation of Jesus to Andrew and Peter (in that order)

The passage opens again with the words, “The next day…”. John the Baptist is there with two of his own disciples. Just then Jesus walked by. This is a common feature of Jesus in the Gospel and it reminds us that Jesus walks by so many times in our ordinary day. Are we aware of that? And how do we respond? As he passed by, John says: “Look! The Lamb of God.” Perhaps the disciples had already heard what John had said about the Lamb and so they began walking after Jesus. They are not yet disciples but more moved by a kind of curiosity about this man.

We will be told later in the account that one of the men was Andrew. But who was the other? A tradition likes to think it was John. Very likely it is the ‘Beloved Disciple’ – not yet called that because his/her discipleship is just beginning. As such, it could have been anyone. It could be a man or a woman. So why not put oneself there with Andrew and share the experience with him? It makes this passage very meaningful if we do so.

At that point Jesus turned, saw them walking behind him and asked: “What are you looking for?” It would be good for us to hear Jesus asking that question of us too. We think we are following Jesus in our Christian life but have we ever asked that fundamental question, “What are you looking for?” And indeed what am I looking for in my life, or from God? It is good to realise too that God asks me that question. We often tend to think that it should be the other way round, that we should be asking God what he wants from us. But the answer to the first question is very revealing. Our answers could be very trivial, or very self-centred, or very altruistic. The answer to the question tells me a lot about where I stand with God, with other people and with myself. If my life depended on it, what would I ask of God? And my life in the fullest sense does depend on it.

How did these two men answer Jesus’ question? They asked him one of their own. “Teacher, where do you stay?” Now, of course, that can be taken at face value in the sense of asking Jesus where his residence was. But, of course, in this gospel it has a much deeper meaning. Where does Jesus stay? (‘Stay’ is a key word in John’s gospel and translates the Greek verb menein, .)

Where can Jesus be found? He is not in any one place; he can be found anywhere. Later on, Jesus will tell his disciples that he stays in the Father and that he also stays in them. Again we need to reflect on the answer to this question. Where do I think Jesus stays? Where can I find him in my life? In what places, in what people, in what situations? Is he only to be found in the tabernacles of our churches? As we read through the gospels we will find that Jesus is to be found in many places, some of them quite surprising.

And now, what is Jesus’ answer to their question? “Come and see.” It is the only way they will find out. Knowing where Jesus stays is not to found in theology or catechism books or in listening to theoretical lectures. The only way we can know where Jesus stays is by personal experience of meeting him where he is. That is something which everyone, even the most illiterate and uneducated can do, and it is something we need to be doing all the time. As the poet said, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God…” There is in fact no place, person or situation where he cannot be found.

So the two men went with Jesus and they stayed with him. They went and they saw. What did they see? We are not told but we do know the outcome of their experience. It was that the experience of staying with Jesus was something that simply had to be shared with others. One of the two men was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. He went to his brother and said, “We have found the Messiah!” They had discovered the true identity of this Jesus. And then Andrew brought his brother to Jesus, who said: “You are Simon, the son of John, you will be called Kephas.”

Here we have a perfect example of evangelization. Andrew himself finds Jesus, stays with him, comes to know who he is and then goes to bring his brother to share the experience. It was another “Come and see” situation and Peter the fisherman was hooked! It is also worth noting that Peter, who would become the leader of the new community after Jesus left them, was not called directly by Jesus but by his brother. How many people, who could do great things for Jesus and the Kingdom, are waiting for me to bring them to Jesus?

I could also reflect with gratitude on the many people who have brought me in so many ways to a deeper personal knowledge of Jesus.

Thoughts from Preachers on 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Thoughts from Preachers on 2 Sunday B 2006, through “First Impressions 2006”:

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2ND. SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B) JANUARY 15, 2006
I Samuel 3: 3b-10, 19 Ps. 40: 2-4, 7-10 I Cor. 6: 13c-15a, 17-20 John 1: 35-42

I like Ordinary Time in the church liturgical calendar. It gives me a time to catch my breath and to grow, letting the words of Scripture take root and flourish. In reflecting on the readings for this weekend, I found some confirmation in these initial thoughts.

In the Gospel, two of Jesus’s disciples, one of whom was Andrew, are invited by Jesus to “Come and you will see”. They stayed with Jesus the entire day. What a gift! Andrew used his gift immediately and ran to find his brother, Simon, and brought him to Jesus. We all know the results of what happened to Peter! Rather effective evangelization.

Andrew realized the value in what Jesus said and Who He was: the Messiah, the Christ. All it took was one day to catapult him into action! Sometimes I think of all the times I have been on retreat or have immersed myself in similar thinking and I wonder??? Do I have a clear picture of Jesus being the Messiah? Have I REALLY internalized the impact of the line from 1 Corinithians that “You have been purchased for a price.” I wonder ? Ordinary time will help that become more a part of who I am and what I do, if I continue to spend that time with Jesus in prayer daily, consistently and deliberately.

Since I am still in wondering mode, I wonder how long it will take for me to jump into action? I am in process of making resolutions that require specific planning , not just hopes. Is it the time of year to get with the program, whatever the program is, and DO something? I hope that like Samuel, I have been listening. Maybe I need to listen a little more before I spring into action. I’ll have some time to do that as I recuperate from a minor illness this week at least. I’ll have more time as I check in with friends, co-workers at the college, and my community to plan “God-things” together. Maybe, like Samuel, I have to grow before all of my words will take effect, as did Samuel’s. Maybe that growing is fully realizing that such words are the Words of the Lord, not mine in the first place.

Ordinary Time will allow me to plan and reflect effectively on how to be part of the Lord’s Plans at this time in my life. I hope an integral part of my growing is continuing to read reflections from others on the Scriptures so that my personal perspectives can be enlarged. Who knows if something that someone says within these opportunities to share ideas might not be THE words that help to move important plans into effective actions? Psalm 40: 9 – 10 says: “I announced your justice in the vast assembly. I did not restrain my lips as you, Oh Lord, know.” May we all take these words of Scripture to heart, to proclaim the Good News in the vast assembly or for the audiences that we may have in our daily life.

-- Blessings,
Lanie LeBlanc OP
Dominican Laity
lanieleblanc@mindspring.com

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January 15, 2006
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
John 1:35-42

Background:

John’s gospel is unique in a number of ways. Sometimes we are tempted to pass by those details that are different than we remember from the other gospels. However, often those unique details can lead to some new insights into the person of Jesus and also how God may be working in our life too. For example, this passage would suggest that Jesus changed the name of Simon to Cephas as soon as he accepted him as a disciple. In other gospels Jesus seems to change his name after he has been a disciple for some time. (John 1:12) Another thing that is different is the fact that here Andrew tells his brother, Peter, that “we have found the Messiah” from the beginning. The other gospels give the impression that Jesus being the Messiah is something that Peter has been wrestling with for some time and only gradually came to believe. Because of Peter’s insight and having the courage to say it out loud, Jesus seems to recognize him as the future leader of his disciples.

“When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter said in reply, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus said to him in reply, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’” (Matthew 16:13-19)

Rather than worry about which might be correct, or how they both might be accurate, we might find it more profitable to ask why John has chosen to describe Jesus’ relationship with Peter in this way. What is John trying to tell us about Jesus, Peter, discipleship, etc? What is the gospel trying to tell us about OUR relationship to Jesus?

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you know the story behind how you were named? Do you have a nickname and how did you get it? Do you have a nickname that is not known to everyone? How is the name an expression of your relationship to the person who gave it to you, to the people who use it?

2. If you were Simon, what would you be thinking when you meet Jesus and he says that you are going to be called Peter/Cephas?

3. What do you think the two disciples of John the Baptist were thinking when they heard him say “Behold the Lamb of God?” Just from how they are described here, what kind of men do you think they were? What do they say to you by the fact that they are willing to abandon John and the rest of his disciples in order to go to Jesus?

4. If Jesus would ask you what are you looking for, what would you say? Are you looking? Where are you looking? What behaviors would point to the fact that you are really looking?

5. Is the pattern of John the Baptist, Andrew and Peter in the gospel present in how you have been led at times in your relationship with God? Is it true now? Could it be how God would like to work in your life now: to lead you to a more intimate relationship with God? Are you looking?

Paul Gallagher, OFM
Young Adult Ministry - Spiritual Direction
St. Peter Church
110 West Madison
Chicago, IL 60602
312-853-2339
pauljg@mindspring.com

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2nd Sunday Ordinary Time, January 15, 2005 Volume 2

The preparation workbook that our parish uses for the Sunday readings has a side note for the Gospel that suggests that the reader “pause after the time reference to mark the shift to Andrew’s spreading the news to his brother” (LTP) Certainly, that is a good suggestion for the reader in order to produce an effective proclamation but I also thought how nice it would be for us to have those pauses inserted into our lives so that we might better be able to recognize the shifts of life! But life seldom gives a pause for us to notice and we most often look up, at some point, and realize that things have changed but don’t know how or when we got there.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a John the Baptist on the scene to point out the presence of Jesus when he breaks into our hurried daily lives? How nice it would be to be able to follow the presence of Jesus and remain with him in order to get our fill and absorb his presence in a way we never dreamed possible. How much easier it would be for each of us to go tell others about Jesus and spread the Good News if we had the same opportunity they did. But the reality is that will never happen. It simply is not possible and so we have to put up with our life “as is” and continue to go with the flow while praying that some day, just some day, we will understand enough in order to start living the life God wants us to.

Have I got your attention?! I’ve been interviewing some new EMHC volunteers to help at the hospital where I work and am surprised how many of them do not recognize that God has called them; “I’m just responding to the article in my parish bulletin” is what I’ve heard often. I’ve gotten some pretty strange looks when I suggest they pray about this call and this is from people who are trained to serve in this capacity at their parish. They tell me a story about how being an EMHC in the hospital has been something they have thought about numerous times and it had recently surfaced again, and then they read the bulletin article. I’ve heard, “something was missing in my life and then I read the article” or “I would never had thought about it on my own.” Of course, the rest of what they share with me shows a pattern of God’s continual call and so I’m going to hire them even if they don’t recognize it is God calling! I’m convinced that the ministry they offer will open their eyes to God’s action and help them recognize it for what it is. When they look back on the experience they will recognize that this is where the “pause” should have been inserted in order to highlight the shift!

Our readings make it clear that God calls us where we are and most times does not insert a pause for us to take notice that something very powerful is happening. Samuel and Eli were simply living life when God called. Samuel’s life was dedicated to God, he lived in the temple and yet he missed, at first, God calling. He too, needed a pause inserted to make the shift. Even Eli, the seasoned veteran, initially misses the pause button! God called, and called, and called AND THEN finally got a response. How typical that is of humans and yet how untypical that they actually heard God calling and understood it as a call after the third attempt; I would guess that the “average” Christian needs more than three calls before she/he gets “it” in our busy day.

The two disciples at the beginning of today’s Gospel were with John but their focus was not where his was. The Gospel states that “as he (John) watched Jesus walk by…” John was aware of what was going on and pressed the pause button for these two disciples who were living life; otherwise they may have missed the “Lamb of God.” He highlighted for them that something special was happening and invited them to take notice; how great for them to have someone like John to point it out. They, too, are called out of their ordinary life into a very extraordinary encounter with God. Were they expecting it to happen on that particular day? Probably not! Did they respond correctly when asked by Jesus “What are you looking for?” Not exactly; they stuttered a bit and then blurted out “where are you staying?!” But Jesus does not disqualify them as disciples because they don’t know what they are looking for. Even though they don’t realize what they are being called to does not stop Jesus from revealing himself to them. They probably didn’t even notice when the transition from being Johns’ disciples to being disciples of the “Lamb” occurred; and neither can we tell by reading this passage.

The same is true for our lives—God calls us out of ordinary life to be his witnesses and to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Even if we don’t recognize it as a call, Jesus continues to work in our lives and continues to reveal “where he is staying.” No one is going to hit the pause button in order for us to take note of the shift that has occurred (or is occurring); it just happens as a part of life and sooner or later we take notice. Our goal, and the challenge of the Scriptures, is to get more in tune with the call of God each day. By becoming more attentive to God’s call in our lives we are able to recognize it earlier on and therefore better able to make use of the gifts given to us. As our insight to God’s goodness, which is alive and well every day of our lives, increases we become better disciples because we are able to more quickly point out who Jesus is to others. And, maybe more importantly than pointing out the “who”—we are better able to point out the “where” of Jesus’ and how he is breaking into our ordinary lives with salvation for all.

Peace,

Wayne

Deacon Wayne Charlton
deaconwc@med.umich.edu

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“Come and See.”

Some years ago, a young English trainee journalist was invited to have the experience of going on the campaign of an American Presidential candidate. Like most trainee journalists, he had little respect for politicians. He saw them as vain, boastful, proud men and women, with few principles – sometimes corrupt, often complaisant, always deceitful. But he thought it would be good experience anyway, so he went. And, straightaway, his prejudices were confirmed. At every stop, every pause, even the slightest opportunity, the Candidate would rush around shaking hands, kissing babies, making grandiose speeches condemning his opponent with childish names and making unrealistic promises.

But, after about a month, he said, something suddenly clicked and he saw the whole thing in a new way. The Candidate and his Team were quite genuine in their belief that the country needed the kind of government they wanted to offer. They were genuine in their commitment to the good of the Nation. They even had respect for their opponent and knew that he too was genuinely doing his best for the country according to his own beliefs. And he saw no corruption whatever-- everyone from the Candidate, through the advisors, the canvassers and the countless other party workers could have earned more money, worked shorter hours, had more sleep and lower blood pressures by doing other things. Genuinely, each and every one of them was working for the good of the Nation according to his own lights. Eventually, three days before the Election, everyone from the Candidate downwards realized that he was going to lose. And the cynical political reporter found himself weeping like a child for the first time in fifteen years.

We too live in cynical times, almost as cynical as first century Palestine, when as far as we can gather almost all the public institutions were appallingly corrupt by any reasonable standard. And the motives we are willing to ascribe to other people actually tell us much more about the motives that are operating inside ourselves. And the only cure for cynicism is the deep personal encounter with the goodness of God manifest in Christ Jesus. “Come and See.”

Let us stand and profess our Faith in God from whom all Good things come.

Fr. Paul O'Reilly, SJ <fatbaldnproud@yahoo.co.uk>

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The Gospel according to Aesop

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

John 135-42

The Farmer and his Sons

A rich old farmer, who felt that he had not many more days to live, called his sons to his bedside.

“My sons,” he said, “heed what I have to say to you. Do not on any account part with the estate that has belonged to our family for so many generations. Somewhere on it is hidden a rich treasure. I do not know the exact spot, but it is there, and you will surely find it. Spare no energy and leave no spot unturned in your search.”

The father died, and no sooner was he in his grave than the sons set to work digging with all their might, turning up every foot of ground with their spades, and going over the whole farm two or three times.

No hidden gold did they find; but at harvest time when they had settled their accounts and had pocketed a rich profit far greater than that of any of their neighbors, they understood that the treasure their father had told them about was the wealth of a bountiful crop, and that in their industry had they found the treasure.

Industry is itself a treasure.

The example of the disciples reminds us to spare no energy and to leave no stone unturned both in our search for Christ and in our efforts to stay with Him our whole life long. To seek the Lord is, in a sense, to have already found Him. Our journey to Him, our discovery of His place in our lives is itself a treasure.

Rev. Martin R. Bartel, O.S.B.
Saint Martin Parish
5684 Route 982
New Derry, PA 15671-1008
724-694-5716 voice/fax
Emailmartinrbartel@yahoo.com
http//home.catholicweb.com/saintmartin