Third Sunday in Ordinary Time


3 OTB.12; Jonah 3:1-10; 1Cor 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
Jesus proclaimed, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.”  (Mk 1:15)
Jesus says this, but what does it mean?   A humorous story is told where ….
A mother calling to her son shouted, “Johnny, tell your sister to get in the house out of the rain.” “I can’t mom,” came the reply. “And just why can’t you?” demanded his mother. “Because we are playing Noah’s Ark mom, and she’s one of the sinners.” (Source: eSermons.com)  … . Aren’t we all?  
Jesus is God’s response to our broken & hurting humanity.
Jesus has a specific mission, us.
Jesus tells us to repent.  In Hebrew it’s shubh, meaning to return to God by turning from all else. In Greek, shubh becomes … meta-noiein, a radical change of heart, a complete about face, a resolve to reorient our entire mindset & lifestyle toward God & Jesus. Guilt & regret are not enough; repentance in order to be authentic & sustained, must be translated into a faith we profess with our life & our words. In this way, the repentant believer actually … becomes an integral, living aspect of the good news through which salvation has come to us all. (Adapted: Celebration, 1/22/12)
Then, Jesus proclaims to us ….
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men & women.”
An encounter with Jesus is a moment that demands a decision.
There are pivotal moments in our lives that affect everything else that follows.  These include times of choosing an educational & career path, deciding whether to marry, or contemplating a move to another city or even another country.  We cannot avoid the consequences of such decisions, because even the choice not to decide will bring consequences.
    The most important decision each of us faces is how to respond to God’s call. We are all challenged to decide how important God will be in our lives.  How we respond affects everything else that we think and do.
Here’s a true story ….
An inmate on a Kentucky death row wrote; “Father, I come to you a bent & broken man, and humble myself before you, with no strength left to stand.  I come to you from prison, from a place that’s called death row, & ask you to take pity, Lord, on this convict’s wretched soul…Replace this hate with blessed love & dry these tear-stained eyes; have mercy on this awful man; please hear his mournful cries.  I’m sorry for all the grief I’ve cause you & everyone; forgive me, Lord, for letting down your only Son… So wash me, Lord, with your loving blood that was spilled so long ago, and welcome me unto thy bosom and comfort this poor lost soul.” …by Jack Joe Holland
2   What are our feelings when we pray Jack Joe’s prayer aloud
… in a subdued voice?
God entered directly into the world through Jesus, & Jesus in turn enters directly into our lives.  Jesus told people when he met them that the moment of decision was at hand.  They could not delay any longer.  God’s reign on earth was beginning & they had to decide whether or not to be part of that.

Today, Jesus presents us with the same challenge that he gave to the disciples: “Come follow me.”  The disciples; response changed them & the world around them.  That will happen to us too if we respond as they did, without hesitation or reservation.  “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.”  Our time of decision is at hand.
(Soorces: Living With Christ, 01/12)
At this Liturgy of Discipleship, let us remember that our God wants each of us to be witnesses to the gospel & savants of the kingdom.  No matter how well educated or how dedicated we may be, God’s call will inspire us to go further.  It may not be as dramatic as it was for Jack Joe Holland, the disciples or even for Jonah.  It may occur over the course of many months,
or even years.  
But it will happen.  
One by one, our thoughts will be challenged.  
One by one, our ideas will change to match Jesus’ ideas.

This process of transformation may not always be easy, but it will be fruitful!  If we try our best to be faithful in the little things God asks of us each day, we will be changed over time.  God will form us into disciples capable of making a difference in the world, just as the apostles & prophets did.  All Jesus is looking for are humble, open hearts.
The Kingdom of God is waiting for you.
Optional extra story:
A few years ago Richard Cardinal Cushing wrote about the church’s need for courage. He said:
”If all the sleeping folks will wake up, and all the lukewarm folks will fire up, and all the disgruntled folks will sweeten up, and all the discouraged folks will cheer up, & all the depressed folks will look up, and all the estranged folks will make up, & all the gossiping folks will shut up, and all the dry bones will shake up, and all the church members will pray up, and if the Savior of all will be lifted up,  then we can have the greatest renewal this world has ever known.”  (Source:Eric S. Ritz)
DECIDE!

Second Sunday In Ordinary Time


2 OTB.12; 1Sam 3:3-19; 1Cor 6:13-20; John 1:35-42   
Jesus asks you a question today, “What are you looking for?”
He first asked this question in today’s gospel.  The potential disciples didn’t answer his question, “What are you looking for?”  It is one of the most difficult questions of all.  Instead they asked a question of their own, “Where are you staying?”   This showed that they felt some attraction; their minds & hearts were somehow drawn to him & to what he was.  
What did Jesus see? *
“A pile of rocks ceases to be a pile a rocks when someone has a  
 cathedral in mind.” (A. de Saint-Exupery)
When you look in the mirror what do you see?What do you see when you look around this sanctuary at all of these people? Go on look at them! Have you ever really looked at the faces of those sit in front of you or behind you or on the far left side or the far right side?
What do you see when you look out at the world through the newspapers you read & the television, or computer screen you watch?Do you see a world filled with piles & piles of rocks … or do you see cathedrals?When Jesus first laid eyes on his would-be disciples he didn’t see a pile of rocks, he saw the beginnings of a cathedral, a church. Jesus looked at the likes of Andrew, Simon, Philip, & Nathaniel & saw great potential, great God-given potential. He didn’t see rocks, he saw diamonds in the rough. Jesus didn’t see a bunch of uneducated, salty, low-income fishermen, he didn’t focus on the “what appeared to be,” he saw the “what could be.”
                          (Source; Rocks or Cathedrals: What Do You See?, London, Come and See)
What can you be?
*We Christians talk a lot about, “the Christian message,” as if it could be written on a piece of paper.  But more profoundly it is an attraction.  Many have it who have no words, no ready answers. And some who have many ready answers feel nothing of the attraction.
Do you focus, like Jesus, on what could be?
What do people see, hear, & feel when you are around?
Listen to what you could be …..
“I SEE JESUS” is an article by Summer Waters, age 11:
I saw Jesus last week. He was wearing blue jeans & an old shirt. He was up at the church building; He was alone and working hard. For just a minute he looked a little like one of our members. But it was Jesus, I could tell by his smile.
I saw Jesus last Sunday. He was teaching a Bible class. He didn't talk real loud or use long words, But you could tell he believed what he said. For just 2  a minute, he looked like my Bible teacher. But it was Jesus, I could tell by his loving voice.
I saw Jesus yesterday. He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick. They prayed together quietly. For just a minute he looked like Brother Jones. But it was Jesus, I could tell by the tears in his eyes.
I saw Jesus this morning. He was in my kitchen making my breakfast & fixing me a special lunch. For just a minute he looked like my mom. But it was Jesus, I could feel the love from his heart.
I see Jesus everywhere, Taking food to the sick . . . Welcoming others to his home, Being friendly to a newcomer . . . and for just a minute, I think he's someone I know. But it's always Jesus . . . I can tell by the way he serves.
(Source; esermons.com/Church)
When people see you, do they see, hear & feel Jesus?
   Most of us became Catholics as infants, that makes us “cradle Catholics,” a term that has positive & negative connotations.  On the positive side, our hearts were opened to the gospel at an early age.  But on the negative side, we may assume that we are doing just fine without questioning our faith or deciding for ourselves whether we really do … believe in Jesus.
   The truth is, we all need to choose for Jesus at some point in our lives.  We all need to proclaim in our hearts:  “I have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41).  This is what happened to the disciples in today’s Gospel, & this is what ought to happen to every one of us.  What motivated these two & all the other disciples to follow Jesus so radically?  Simply put, they came to realize who he was.  They came to see him as Lord & Savior, Messiah & Redeemer, and that realization … changed their lives forever.
     Those of us who are cradle Catholics can use today’s Gospel as a catalyst to ask ourselves: “Who do I think Jesus is?”
Because they took up Jesus’ invitation to come & see, Andrew & Peter’s hearts were changed (John l: 39).  And that change of heart initiated a process of change in their minds as well.  They began to think & act differently.      
      Jesus wants to have the same impact on our lives. He wants to change the way we think and act.  This renewal of our minds may take a lifetime, as it did for these apostles.  But just as it happened for them, so must it happen for us:  Every “mind-change” process begins with a “heart change.”  
(Some ideas: The Word Among Us, 01/12)
We have to meet Jesus, personally.  
At this Liturgy, let us realize that each of us
… has to be able to say on our own:
“I have found the Messiah!
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