3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 21, 2024

How can I follow the call of Jesus and bring others to him?

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.

Music Meditations

• “The Summons” (sung by Robert Kochis) [YouTube]
• “In Christ Alone” (lyrics by Chris Tomlin) [YouTube]
• “Give Me Jesus” (sung by Fernando Ortega) [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

From “First Impressions”, 2015

We have just passed through the Christmas and Epiphany seasons and have heard the narratives of Jesus’ birth and manifestations to the shepherds and the magi. These stories come to us from Matthew and Luke’s gospels. Today we begin a sequential reading from Mark. His gospel will be our focus through much of this liturgical year. Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark doesn’t open with stories of Jesus’ early beginnings, but with His preaching. The German scripture scholar, Martin Diebelius, puts it this way, “In the beginning was the preaching.” Mark’s introductory verses (1:1-8) are about John the Baptist’s preparatory preaching. Today’s gospel presents Jesus to us, not through biographical material, but through his words. “In the beginning was the preaching.”

Mark introduces Jesus not as a miracle worker, but as a preacher. He reminds us that it was not the most comfortable time to begin preaching. The worldly powers had arrested John and had said “No” to God’s reign. But still, God’s message will not be overcome by any worldly power. Instead, God’s sovereign rule is breaking into our history and it is a word of good news for humanity.

We tend to want to flesh out the story of the call of the disciples. We base our reasoning on what would make common sense from our perspective. We know that significant changes in our lives often come after long deliberation and consultation. Even then, most of us make changes only tentatively, a few cautious steps at a time. That makes perfect sense to us and no one would fault our reasoning. In fact, there are plenty of people, friends, family and acquaintances, who are more than ready to offer us advice along the way.

Mark leaves out any preparatory details that may have gone into the disciples’ decision-making process. The preacher needs to respect Mark’s method and not try to make the first disciples’ responses more “reasonable.” Mark presents a crisp, breath-taking story: Jesus invites—the disciples follow. We get the point. For Mark, discipleship requires a decisive and trusting response to Jesus. In the light of today’s telling: we disciples are called to leave our former life behind and take up the new life Jesus offers. And to do it now!

Jesus begins by announcing, “This is the time of fulfillment.” Is not any old time; it is a new time charged with possibilities for those who respond. Thus, Mark’s description of the response by those first called to follow Jesus makes sense. Jesus calls—it is a charged moment. They hear and respond immediately. Who is the director of this narrative? Who is guiding the plot? God is and we are invited to get on board quickly lest we miss the grace-filled moment that is overflowing with new possibilities for those who respond. Mark’s gospel is the story of Jesus. But it is also the story of how people responded to him, starting with the first-called. The story begins well and they respond immediately to his invitation, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of [people].” He will teach them to do what he does: teach, heal and cast out demons. The disciples will also learn that following Jesus will have its difficult moments, but  he will be with them at those times as well—as when he rescued them from the threatening storm (8:45-52).

As the gospel develops the disciples will reveal breaches in their loyalty to Jesus. They misunderstand his miracles and teaching. When he teaches them that following him will mean suffering and death, they resist (8:30-33). They will argue among themselves about rank and prestige (10:35-45).  After sharing his last meal with them one disciple will even betray him (14:10) while others doze off during his agony in the garden. At his arrest they will all flee, even “the rock,” Peter, will deny him. Jesus calls his first disciples, and with these “learners” begins his new community. It’s clear as the narrative proceeds that, with their all-too human traits, they will not be able to achieve anything on their own.

When we think of repentance we usually associate the notion with sorrow for sins. But in Jesus’ language it means to make a 180° change of direction. It means to rethink our notion of who God is and how God acts towards us in the light of our sins. “The kingdom of God is at hand.” In Jesus, God is breaking into our worlds of isolation and indifference and calling us to faith in Christ. In sum, repentance asks that we make a complete turnaround in our lives towards God. The call of the disciples illustrates what repentance and belief in the gospel mean. Is not first of all about acceptance of doctrine, but an acceptance of an attachment to Jesus: to do what the disciples did—get up and go with Jesus all the way to the cross. For some, following Jesus has meant leaving their present life to make a complete change. For others, it means remaining in their worlds with its structures, but living in it with a sense of detachment and a willingness to change what needs changing. What does it mean for you?

Further reflection:

• Commentary on Mark 1:14–20 from “Living Space” >>
• Reflections on 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) from “First Impressions” >>

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

“Come, and I will make you fishers of men.”

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

• Define “Good News”.
  Do I believe in the “Good News”?
  Do I preach “Good News” in word and action?
• What does it mean to me to say that the Kingdom of God is at hand, but that it is “now” and “not yet”?
• Repentance, for the Jews, meant seeking forgiveness making restitution, mending broken relationships. Consider what the world needs in terms of repentance.
• Do you see the invitation to the first followers a one-time event, or are we, by extension, called to be disciples as well?
• Consider the times in your life when Jesus has extended an invitation to you. How did you respond?
• What does it mean to hear Jesus say “Follow me”?
• How is the invitation unique to you and you alone?
• Does answering God’s call insure success, happiness or perfection in what we do to respond to Jesus?
• From “Faith Book”, a service of the Southern Dominican province:
  What redirection and big change must I make in my life?
  What will be the first step towards that kind of change?
• From “Faith Book”, a service of the Southern Dominican province:
  Is there an emptiness in our lives we know we can’t fulfill on our own?
  What are we doing about addressing it?
• Mark’s gospel centers around two questions: “Who is Jesus”? and “What are Jesus’ disciples meant to be like”?
  How would I answer these questions generally?
• How would I compare my discipleship to that of those first called?
• Do I have a personal relationship with Jesus?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

The gospel from last Sunday (John 1: 35-42) and the gospel from this Sunday (Mark 1:14-20) are two different versions of Jesus’ call of Andrew and Simon. Take a look at each and note the differences and similarities. Is one story true and the other made up? In what essential way is each story “true”? This is a great illustration of the fact that the gospels are not meant to be history, but a faith testimony. Each gospel was an affirmation of what their community believed to be something essential about Jesus. So the question is not “What story is “true?”, but “What does each story tell us about the call of the first disciples?” Each should be read and prayed with on its own terms, looking for meaning, guidance and sometimes comfort. To rank or compare them detail by detail for “veracity” is merely an academic exercise.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

Imagine that you are just returning, tired, smelly and cold from a bout of night fishing on the Sea of Galilee. You are a Jew, but how religious are you? Do you think about God and the scriptures a lot? Describe the man who comes up to you and starts a conversation. What does he look like? What does he say to you before he issues that strange invitation? Are you initially wary, definitely repelled, or instantly mesmerized by what he is saying? What is going on in your head as he invites you to join him? Spend some time in your imagination, placing yourself in the events of the day. What makes you drop everything immediately and follow him? How does your family learn that you have abandoned your livelihood to follow a perfect stranger? (I would love to have been a fly on the wall as Peter explains to his wife and his mother-in-law what he wants to do. Maybe, knowing that Peter is such an impulsive man, given to sudden enthusiasms, they decide to let him play out his fantasy… little do they know…)

Like the first four followers, have I ever been caught off guard by an unexpected “epiphany” about a direction my life must take? Did I see it as the hand of God? Looking back, can I discern that sometime in my life there has been an invitation from God to metanoia—to change my life? If I am facing some changes in my life right now, I resolve to view them as an invitation to a new adventure in Christ, being open to whatever the future brings. Scary, huh?

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Do I still think of repentance as guilt or sorrow for my sins? The actual meaning of the Greek term metanoia is to change my mind or change my heart. What in me needs to change? What must I turn away from? Walter Burghardt, S.J., suggests that we also need to look at what we are turning to:

1. Turn to self, and what the true self desires. Like Thomas Merton, who struggled with his vocation for many years, we need to keep asking ourselves what it means to be authentic, true to ourselves. Unlike Merton after his conversion, we may find answers in the wrong places. How honest am I about myself and my desires and needs? Am I consistently faithful to my relationships?
2. Turn to Christ. Like St Augustine, it may be that true change only happens when we come to learn what it means to love Jesus. Unlike St Augustine, we may occasionally lose sight of Jesus in the midst of stresses and distraction in our daily lives. How much time do I actually spend in prayer? Do I ever, in an ordinary day, imagine Jesus by my side? Do I want a relationship with Jesus?
3. Turn to the world. Like Dorothy Day, we must find Jesus in the faces of the poor and despised. Piety without action is solipsism. Unlike Dorothy Day, we may find our mission is a little less dramatic, and a little more muted. But we must remember we have a mission to the world. How do I treat those with whom I live and work? How aware am I of the invisible among us? How deep is my concern for others?

Of these actions of metanoia, which is the easiest for me? Which is the most difficult at this time in my life?

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

From “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

Two things make it difficult to hear how Jesus invites each of us to be with him as his companions and to share his work. One is our limitations and consequent feeling of insignificance. The second is how exalted Jesus is as God, even though the same Jesus walked our earth. If you wish to pray with this reality, be with Jesus in a quiet place and let him call you by name. Let him first call you to be with him as his friend and then to share his work.

Poetic Reflection:

Read the excerpt that follows from a poem by Francis Thompson. In what ways do we, each of us, flee God? Why?

“The Hound of Heaven”

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet
'All things betray thee, who betrayest Me'.
I pleaded, outlaw-wise,
By many a hearted casement, curtained red,
Trellised with intertwining charities;
(For, though I knew His love Who followed,
Yet was I sore adread
Lest, having Him, I must have naught beside.)

Closing Prayer

Dear Jesus, we have heard your call and it compels us to follow. Let the truth of the Gospel break the yoke of our selfishness. Draw us and all people to the joy of salvation. We especially pray for all those in need of your guidance and your comfort at this time [pause to recall the names of those you want to pray for]. We pray for a world in need of your call to serve others and the natural world [pause to recall the issues you want to pray about]. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see.

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.