January 26, 2020 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
2020년 1월 26일 연중 제3주일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
이사야서.8,23ㄴ─9,3
23 옛날에는 즈불룬 땅과 납탈리 땅이 천대를 받았으나
앞으로는 바다로 가는 길과
요르단 건너편과 이민족들의 지역이 영화롭게 되리이다.
9,1 어둠 속을 걷던 백성이 큰 빛을 봅니다.
암흑의 땅에 사는 이들에게 빛이 비칩니다.
2 당신께서는 즐거움을 많게 하시고
기쁨을 크게 하십니다.
사람들이 당신 앞에서 기뻐합니다,
수확할 때 기뻐하듯 전리품을 나눌 때 즐거워하듯.
3 정녕 당신께서는 그들이 짊어진 멍에와 어깨에 멘 장대와
부역 감독관의 몽둥이를 미디안을 치신 그날처럼 부수십니다.
제2독서
코린토 1서.1,10-13.17
10 형제 여러분,
나는 우리 주 예수 그리스도의 이름으로 여러분에게 권고합니다.
모두 합심하여 여러분 가운데에 분열이 일어나지 않게 하십시오.
오히려 같은 생각과 같은 뜻으로 하나가 되십시오.
11 나의 형제 여러분, 여러분 가운데에 분쟁이 일어났다는 것을
클로에 집안 사람들이 나에게 알려 주었습니다.
12 다름이 아니라, 여러분이 저마다 “나는 바오로 편이다.”,
“나는 아폴로 편이다.”, “나는 케파 편이다.”,
“나는 그리스도 편이다.” 하고 말한다는 것입니다.
13 그리스도께서 갈라지셨다는 말입니까?
바오로가 여러분을 위하여 십자가에 못 박히기라도 하였습니까?
아니면 여러분이 바오로의 이름으로 세례를 받았습니까?
17 그리스도께서는 세례를 주라고 나를 보내신 것이 아니라
복음을 전하라고 보내셨습니다.
그리고 이 일을 말재주로 하라는 것이 아니었으니,
그리스도의 십자가가 헛되지 않게 하려는 것입니다.
복음
마태오.4,12-23<또는 4,12-17>
12 예수님께서는 요한이 잡혔다는 말을 들으시고 갈릴래아로 물러가셨다.
13 그리고 나자렛을 떠나 즈불룬과 납탈리 지방 호숫가에 있는
카파르나움으로 가시어 자리를 잡으셨다.
14 이사야 예언자를 통하여 하신 말씀이 이루어지려고 그리된 것이다.
15 “즈불룬 땅과 납탈리 땅, 바다로 가는 길,
요르단 건너편, 이민족들의 갈릴래아,
16 어둠 속에 앉아 있는 백성이 큰 빛을 보았다.
죽음의 그림자가 드리운 고장에 앉아 있는 이들에게 빛이 떠올랐다.”
17 그때부터 예수님께서는 “회개하여라. 하늘 나라가 가까이 왔다.” 하고
선포하기 시작하셨다.
18 예수님께서는 갈릴래아 호숫가를 지나가시다가 두 형제,
곧 베드로라는 시몬과 그의 동생 안드레아가 호수에 어망을 던지는 것을 보셨다.
그들은 어부였다.
19 예수님께서 그들에게 이르셨다.
“나를 따라오너라. 내가 너희를 사람 낚는 어부로 만들겠다.”
20 그러자 그들은 곧바로 그물을 버리고 예수님을 따랐다.
21 거기에서 더 가시다가 예수님께서 다른 두 형제,
곧 제베대오의 아들 야고보와 그의 동생 요한이
배에서 아버지 제베대오와 함께 그물을 손질하는 것을 보시고 그들을 부르셨다.
22 그들은 곧바로 배와 아버지를 버려두고 그분을 따랐다.
23 예수님께서는 온 갈릴래아를 두루 다니시며 회당에서 가르치시고
하늘 나라의 복음을 선포하시며,
백성 가운데에서 병자와 허약한 이들을 모두 고쳐 주셨다.
January 26, 2020
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali;
but in the end he has glorified the seaward road,
the land west of the Jordan,
the District of the Gentiles.
Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness:
for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Reading 2
1 Cor 1:10-13, 17
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree in what you say,
and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters,
by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you.
I mean that each of you is saying,
“I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”
or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.
Gospel
Mt 4:12-23
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.
or
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«Jesus went around all Galilee»
Fr. Josep RIBOT i Margarit
(Tarragona, Spain)
Today, Jesus teaches us a lesson of “holy prudence”, totally congenial with boldness and courage. Certainly, He —who is not afraid of promulgating the truth— decides to pull away when realizing that his enemies —as they had already done with John the Baptist— also want to kill him: «Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you» (Lk 13:31). —If his slanderers, whom He had spent his life doing well to, were trying to kill him, you should not be surprised if you, eventually, also suffer maltreatment, as the Lord already warned us.
«When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee» (Mt 4:12). It would be foolish to challenge danger without a commensurate reason. only through prayer can we make out whether silence or abeyance or letting time go by, are symptoms of wisdom or of cowardice and lack of fortitude. Forbearance, the science of peace, will help making up serenely our mind in the difficult moments, provided we do not lose the supernatural vision.
«Jesus went around all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and curing all kinds of sickness and disease among the people» (Mt 4:23). Neither threats nor fear of what others may say can force us to retreat from doing good. Those of us who are called to become salt and light, workers of goodness and truth, cannot yield before extortion and threats that, more often than not, will be nothing but hypothetical or merely oral dangers.
Unwavering, fearlessly, without looking for any excuses to postpone for “to-morrow” our apostolic action. They say, «“to-morrow” is the adverb of the defeated». This is why St. Josemaría recommended «Here is a recipe to make your apostolic spirit effective: make definite plans, not for the whole week but for the day ahead, for this moment and the next».
To enthusiastically carry out God's will; to be righteous in any environment and to follow the ruling of our well shaped conscience, calls for a strength and might we have to request for all of us, because the danger of cravenness is great. —Let us beg our Holy Mother in Heaven to help us always, and in all instances, to abide by God's will, by imitating her heroic fortitude at the foot of the Cross.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The readings for today shed light on my personal theme for 2020, which is to “look for the light” in my life and to better focus the light of Christ for others to see. I have always loved the passage where Isaiah says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.” These days, I am acutely aware of the many ways in which people experience despair: personally, professionally, and politically. It can be a huge burden to be open to the pain of others in our lives, as well as the pain of all humanity. But we can take on the big task of helping to dispel the darkness with the light of Christ. In fact, we must. It is the call to discipleship for each of us who experience that light to share it in our private and public relationships with others. Now, it is not our job to solve all those problems, but rather to shed the light of Christ on them so that people will have greater insights into all these problems. Still, sharing that light can be a daunting task at every level. But why should we be afraid? The Psalmist sings, “The Lord is my light and my salvation,” with joy, hope, and courage. The Lord is our refuge, so why should we fear? In-the-midst of a world that holds great gloom and despair, we can focus instead on the bounty of the Lord in our lives and the lives of others. Yet, there is difficulty ahead, reminds Paul, in focusing the light of Christ. Well we know that it is so easy to take different positions in the way we think about how our problems should be solved, personally, professionally, and politically. Paul reminds us that it is not about the wisdom of human eloquence. It is about the humility of the cross. That is helpful, but what helps me most to focus on the light of Christ today are Matthew’s focus on what Jesus proclaimed regarding living in the Kingdom of God. Jesus was about healing diseases. In my experience, the greatest disease we have in our world today is the disease of hate. It cuts through families, communities, and nations. It has placed the world in great darkness. Jesus understands this. He knows our darkness and how much it brings us to despair and death. He calls us to repent, or turn away, to focus away from the darkness and to focus on the light, which is the kingdom of heaven in our midst. Look for the light! In this new year, I pray that we will draw on the courage of our faith to share the Gospel light of Christ with others. We can share the good news that the kingdom of heaven is indeed at hand! |
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
THERE'S NOBODY LIKE JESUS | ||
| "Reform your lives! The kingdom of heaven is at hand." �Matthew 4:17 | ||
Jesus was walking along a part of the shore of the Sea of Galilee used by commercial fishing businesses. He commanded two brothers to follow Him and leave behind their business, livelihood, families, and the only way of life they had ever known. They obeyed Jesus' command immediately (Mt 4:20). That this was not a fluke is attested by the fact that Jesus did the same thing at another commercial fishing business and two other brothers also left everything to follow Jesus (Mt 4:22). There is something special about Jesus. His words are "spirit and life" (Jn 6:63), and His actions are the most powerful. For example, He didn't simply cure some diseases, He "cured the people of every disease and illness" (Mt 4:23). Jesus spoke, did, and was the Good News, that is, the Gospel. Jesus inaugurated a whole, new way of governing life. He called it the kingdom of God (see Mt 4:23). When Jesus was crucified and murdered, "the gospel of the kingdom" seemed to have been defeated. Yet Jesus rose on the third day and showed that His Good News was stronger than death and that His kingdom would last forever (1 Cor 15:4; Lk 1:33). What are you waiting for? Follow Jesus and leave all else behind now. | ||
| Prayer: Father, may I be madly in love with Jesus. | ||
| Promise: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone." —Is 9:1 | ||
| Praise: "He said to them: 'Thus it is written that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day' " (Lk 24:46). Praise the risen Jesus! |
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
From darkness and death to light and life
Do you know the joy and freedom of the good news (Gospel) of the kingdom of God? John the Baptist's enemies had sought to silence him, but the good news of God's kingdom of salvation cannot be silenced. As soon as John had finished his testimony Jesus began his in Galilee. Galilee was at the crossroads of the world and much traffic passed through this little region. It had been assigned to the tribes of Asher, Naptali and Zebulum when the Israelites first came into the land (see Joshua 9). For a long time it had been under Gentile occupation (non-Jewish nations).
Jesus brings the light and truth of salvation to the world
The prophet Isaiah foretold that the good news of salvation would reach Jews and Gentiles in the "land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations" (Isaiah 9:1). Jesus begins the proclamation of the Gospel here to fulfill the word of God. The Old Testament prophets spoke of God’s promise to send a Redeemer who would establish God's rule. That time is now fulfilled in Jesus who brings the light and truth of the Gospel to the world.
The "good news" brings peace, hope, truth, promise, immortality, and salvation
Jesus takes up John's message of repentance and calls his hearers to believe in the good news he has come to deliver. What is the good news which Jesus brings? It is the good news of peace - the Lord comes to reconcile and restore us to friendship with God. The good news of hope - the Lord comes to dwell with us and to give us a home with him in his heavenly kingdom. The good news of truth - the Lord Jesus sets us free from the lies and deception of Satan and opens our mind to understand the truth and revelation of God's word (John 8:32). The good news of promise - Jesus fulfills the promise of God to reward those who seek him with the treasure of heaven. The good news of immortality - Jesus overcomes sin and death for us in order to raise our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body which will never die again. And the good news of salvation - the Lord Jesus delivers us from every fear, every sin, and every obstacle that would keep us from entering his everlasting kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy.
The Gospel is the power and the wisdom of God - both power to change and transform our lives and wisdom to show us how to live as sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit the Lord makes it possible for us to receive his word with faith and to act upon it with trust and obedience.
The Gospel demands a response of faith and obedience to God's gift of salvation
In announcing the good news, Jesus makes two demands: repent and believe! Repentance requires a change of course - a turning away from sin and disobedience and a turning towards the Lord with faith and submission to his word of truth and righteousness (right living according to God's truth and moral goodness). The Holy Spirit gives us a repentant heart, a true sorrow and hatred for sin and its bad consequences (the wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23), and a firm resolution to avoid whatever would lead us into sin. The Holy Spirit gives us grace to see our sin for what it is - rebellion and a rejection of the love of God. God's grace helps us to turn away from all that would keep us from his love.
We believe, hope, and love Him because He loved us first and drew us to Himself
Faith or belief is an entirely free gift which God makes to us. Believing is only possible by grace and the help of the Holy Spirit who moves the heart and converts it to God. The Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the mind and makes it possible for us to accept and to grow in our understanding of the truth. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit we can know God personally and the truth he reveals to us through his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. To believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior is to accept God's revelation of his Son as the eternal Word of God and the Redeemer who delivers us from the tyranny of sin, Satan, and death. Out of his great love for us God the Father made the supreme sacrifice of his Son on the cross to atone for our sins and to bring us back to himself.
Do you want to grow in the knowledge of God's love and truth? Ask the Holy Spirit to renew in you the gift of faith, the love of wisdom, and the heart of a disciple who desires to follow the Lord Jesus and his will for your life.
"Lord Jesus, your ways are life and light! Let your word penetrate my heart and transform my mind that I may see your power and glory. Help me to choose your ways and to do what is pleasing to you."
Psalm 2:7-8,10-11
7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The true light of revelation to the Gentiles, by Chromatius (died 406 AD)
"The Evangelist commemorated in this passage the prophet's words: 'Beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light' (Matthew 4:15-16) In what darkness? Certainly in the profound error of ignorance. What great light did they see? The light concerning which it is written: 'He was the true light that illumines everyone who comes into this world' (John 1:9) This was the light about which the just man Simeon in the Gospel declared, 'A light of revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for your people Israel' (Luke 2:32). That light had arisen according to what David had announced, saying, 'A light has arisen in the darkness to the upright of heart' (Psalm 112:4).
"Also, Isaiah demonstrated that light about to come for the enlightenment of the church when he said, 'Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you' (Isaiah 60:1). Concerning that light also Daniel noted, 'It reveals the profound and hidden things, knowing those things which are in darkness and the light is with it' (Daniel 2:22), that is, the Son with the Father, for even as the Father is light, so too is the Son light. And David also speaks in the psalm: 'In your light shall we see light' (Psalm 36:9), for the Father is seen in the Son, as the Lord tells us in the Gospel: 'Who sees me, sees the Father' (John 14:9) From the true light, indeed, the true light proceeded, and from the invisible the visible. “He is the image of the invisible God,” as the apostle notes (Colossians 1:15)." (excerpt from TRACTATE on MATTHEW 15.1)
http://www.homilies.net/
3 Ordinary Time
Third Sunday of the Year - A Cycle - Matthew 4:12-23
Four year old Jill asked, "God is bigger then us and lives in us, right?" Her mom agreed. Jill blurted out, "If God is bigger than us and lives in us, shouldn't He show through?" Jill is a promising theologian.
Jesus possessed a sophisticated Early Warning System. Word reached him that John the Baptist had been jailed. He knew if He wanted to avoid arrest, He must flee John's country. His instincts pointed Him to Galilee. Even blindfolded, He knew that territory well. Nobody would find Him there. Besides, the time had come for Jesus to begin His preaching about His Father's Kingdom. He arrived in the north after a forced march.
He checked in with His mother and had home-cooked meals. After His forty day fast, Mary must have been terrified at the looks of Him. He sold His tools at a yard sale. He would not be needing them again. He put the funds in the Nazareth Savings Bank for His mom and got a Visa credit card.
Jesus was about to begin His second career. It would last but three years. Yet, the world still reels from that decision.
Then He set up His headquarters not in Nazareth but in Capernaum. That was a gutsy call. Like many seaports, Capernaum was seedy. Its citizens were among the most violent in Galilee. Many would steal the eyes out of your head and tell you that you were born blind. Citizens there would prefer to be called former citizens of Capernaum.
But it had one big plus. The town was sitting on a heavily traveled road. Merchants from Syria and Phoenicia in the north would motel overnight in the town as they headed south. Those coming out of Egypt and other African countries heading for the north country would do likewise. Jesus would never want for a ready audience. These people would listen to fresh ideas. They would carry His story to whatever countries their business took them. That is the reason we non-Palestinians are Christians today.
Also from Capernaum He could move out into all of the province of Galilee. It was not a large area. It measured about fifty miles from bottom to top and perhaps twenty-five miles from west to east. Jesus was no stranger to walking. He was in marvelous condition. In addition, the plentiful winds on the Sea of Galilee would carry Him in any direction by sailboat taxi.
He had to pick up a team first before He began His serious work. Thus His famous invitation to the brothers Simon and Andrew and to the brothers James and John.
These men were no spiritual midgets. Jesus had first met them down in John the Baptist's country. Like Him, they had researched the Baptizer and liked what they had seen and heard. They were conscious of the spirit portion of their own persons.
Nor was Jesus an unknown to them. They had traveled in His company. No doubt they had heard Him preach often. They may even have witnessed miracles. They had become as charmed of Jesus as we are.
When they accepted His invitation to sign on, they were bold men. They were trading in a middle-class living for a precarious one. They were, after all, commercial fishermen. They owned their own boats. When was the last time you could afford to put fresh lobster, crabmeat, and shrimp on your table?
Jesus was offering them not peace but the sword. And an executioner's two-edged sword awaited three of them a short way down the road.
Jesus' invitation was directed not to their heads but to their hearts. Had it been the other way around, they might not have enlisted as charter members of a start up enterprise. Very few of us reason our way into the Church. Most of us become hypnotized with Jesus. It is not His clever words that move us. It is His very person. He was and remains a complete original. one genuine contact and one is addicted for life. (William Barclay)
once Jesus had His team, He began His work in earnest. Do reflect that today's Gospel tells us Jesus "cured the people of every disease and illness." Count them and you will discover that nine of the ten miracles in Matthew's Gospel concern healings.
He was concerned both getting these people to heaven and in helping them today. His deeds, said an observer, became His message. So it must be with us.
There is no dearth of work. According to the United Nations, 800 million people and rising are malnourished in the world.
This week let God show through you. Do not disappoint Jill, who opened this homily, and above all don't disappoint yourself.
Frjoeshomilies.net
3 Ordinary Time
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: Light to Those in Darkness
In today's readings we come upon the same passage twice. In both Isaiah, the first reading and in our gospel from Matthew we heard:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.
The first is a prophecy. The second time is a report. Isaiah said this would happen. Matthew reports that it did happen.
Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, where were these places? They were in the northern part of Galilee. one of the cities there was Capernaum. Jesus made Capernaum His base of operation when He started His ministry. These are the people who would first experience the Light.
Four of them were fishermen: Simon, later to be called Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James and his brother John. The Lord's call to them was so powerful that they immediately left their boats and nets. From the very beginning they were told that they would have a mission, they would become fishers of men. The people of Galilee and beyond, far beyond, would no longer walk in darkness.
But many people still walk in darkness. Many people choose to walk in darkness. There are many who do not want to know the truth. They would rather stay in the dark. Here are three examples: Many people do not want to know what happens in an abortion clinic. Nor do they want to know how a woman's life is forever changed when the life within her is destroyed. This is not pleasant. Many people would rather stay in the dark. A second example, many people do not want to know about the 32-billion-dollar human trafficking industry. They don't want to hear about sexual slavery much of which is generated by the porn industry. That is not pleasant to hear or to think about. They would rather stay in the dark. A final example, there are many people who do not want to hear how drugs, including marijuana, are destroying our society. They hide behind the "everybody's doing it" argument and choose to chance destroying their own lives.
Those who have been called by Christ to be his disciples, all of us, have to have the courage to bring the light of His Truth to those who choose darkness.
There are many people who are thrown into darkness. Due to no fault of their own, they are put into horrible situations. There are many children who have been shuffled from home to home in the foster system and then forced to make their way alone in the world when they turn 18. There are many elderly people who are left with hardly any income to support themselves. Just the other day a thin lady in her late 80's living on $1,100 a month and avoiding necessities like decent food told me that her fondest hope was that she would die soon so she would not have to worry about her bills any longer. That is no way for a person to finish his or her life. By the way, the money you give to the poor was used to help her. Your generosity has brought light to many who are in darkness.
Sometimes people will say to me, and, I'm sure, to you, "There is nothing anybody can do. There is no way out for me." Well, there is something we can do. We can love them. We can help wherever possible. We can let them know that they are not alone in the world. We can pray with them. We can pray for them.
The world is beautiful for those who are in the light. The world is horrible for those who are in darkness. We are in the light. We need to bring this light to others. Like Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, we need to be fishers of men.
We need to let people know about Jesus Christ. We need to let them know that He is alive and active in the world. We need to let them know that He loves them. We need to let them know that He is calling them to come into His Light. We are not followers of Jesus Christ for ourselves. We have not been called to embrace a selfish relationship with the Lord. We have been called so we can use our own unique talents to bring others to Christ. Our central prayer, the fundamental prayer of the Church, is the Mass. The word Mass is derived from the Latin word for sending. We come together each week, and for some, every day, to receive the grace, the strength we need to complete the mission we have been given to engage others and lead them to join us in the journey of the Kingdom of God. "Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand," Jesus preached. "We all need to repent, for the Kingdom of God is here," we echo.
We need to use our unique gifts for the Lord's Kingdom. one person can write well. Another is an organizer. A third handles finances brilliantly. one works well with his hands. Another is a great auto mechanic. One person is naturally caring and personable. Another has the gift of remaining calm when turmoil hits. A third easily sees through people's masks and helps them be their true selves. Whatever our gifts are, we must use them for the Lord. We must bring light to those in darkness. We must become fishers of men, and women, and children and Teens.
Jesus said to us:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp-stand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
Stmaryvalleybloom.org
* Available in Spanish - see Spanish Homilies
3 Ordinary Time
Bottom line: The Proclamation of the Kingdom and the Call to Repentance is not something once and for all. We have to hear it each day.
This week I returned from Peru. I thank you for your prayers - and for your support for the Mary Bloom Center.
This is a good Sunday to return because we hear Jesus' basic message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Some of you will recognize this a the Third Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation of the Kingdom and the Call to Repentance.
The five Luminous Mysteries are: Baptism of Jesus, Wedding at Cana, Proclamation of Kingdom, Transfiguration and Institution of the Eucharist.
These mysteries sum up the Christian life which begins with baptism, then moves to discoverings one's purpose or vocation. For most this involves marriage and founding a family, for some the priesthood or religious life. Others have a calling to a single vocation.
If you and I live our vocation it involves a daily call to repentance. I've been a priest 48 years. As I've admited to you, I've had good days and bad days lazy days and crazy days. For sure I've faced times of discouragement. I've had to ask the Lord help and have heard him say, "stand up, be a man, keep keeping on."
I recognize areas of my life where the rule of Christ is not complete. Each day I pray, "thy kingdom come, they will be done."
So the Proclamation of the Kingdom and the Call to Repentance is not something once and for all. We have to hear it each day. I'd like to now recommend a way of hearing and living that call. I referred to it at the beginning of the homily: the rosary. Next to the Mass, the Eucharist, it's the best prayer we have.
The rosary involves rhythmically repeating the Scripture verse that make up the Hail Mary. This helps quiet the mind to focus on the great mysteries - those events from Jesus' life that define our existence. Like many people I pray the Luminous Mysteries on Thursday and Saturday
2020 is a good year to take up the rosary. When you go to an eye doctor you may get a prescription to see things right - to have 20/20 vision. Praying the rosary is the prescription to see things as they really are: the joys and sorrows, the trials and tests really do have a purpose.
Next week we have the opportunity to celebrate one of theJoyful Mysteries. This year February 2 - Feast of the Presentation falls on Sunday. Joseph and Mary presented Jesus in the Temple 40 days after his birth. It happens February 2 is exactly 40 days after Christmas. Don't believe me? Get out a calendar and count for yourself.
Most important, next weekend we will see how to medidate on a mystery from Jesus' early life. It will help us live his basic message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Amen
Alexmcallister.co.uk
3 Ordinary Time
In our Gospel reading today we hear about the call of the very first disciples right at the beginning of Jesus' ministry—first Simon Peter and Andrew then James and John.
You might think that these very first disciples were a bit simple. While they are busy working at their everyday tasks as fishermen Jesus comes up and asks them to follow him. They immediately drop their nets and do just that, they follow him.
This seems to us to be quite a rash act, something rather unwise and unconsidered. They know almost nothing about this man who wants them to become his disciples and yet they drop everything and follow him. And we know from the Gospels it literally did mean following him because Jesus soon takes off on a whole series of journeys around Palestine.
We are told that Jesus had already begun his preaching; but at this early stage he wasn't well known and they could only have been a few who heard him. We aren't actually told in the text whether these first disciples had already heard his preaching or not. Yet even if they had heard Jesus preaching, they couldn't have known very much about him or understood any of the implications of his message.
Their actions do not sound like the behaviour of prudent or responsible men. And yet in these few verses we have the very beginnings of the Church of God on earth. And these reckless and impulsive men become the models for all subsequent members of the Church. We are not told their motives or any of their thought processes, just the bare fact that they left their nets and boats and followed Jesus. There are no whys and wherefores recorded for us, just the simple actions of leaving and following.
All this would have seemed quite strange to Matthew's Jewish readers because their custom was for the disciple to search out and choose the master. But here it is clearly Jesus who takes the initiative —he calls, they follow.
one possible conclusion we might come to is how extraordinary attractive Jesus must have been; his command must have been absolutely compelling. We are told that the two sets of disciples both 'immediately' leave what they are doing and follow him. The charisma of Jesus is underlined by Matthew who indicates, in the very next sentence after our chosen text, that his fame went ahead of him throughout the province.
In the few lines of the Gospel given for today we see how Jesus picks up where John the Baptist left off. We are told that he has come to fulfil the scriptures, that he will bring light to the people; we are introduced to Jesus' inner group of disciples and see how they are called. And we are told about his ministry of healing among the crowds that flocked to hear him.
Jesus came to bring light to those who live in darkness. Those who are in the dark about what God plans for the world will be enlightened. They will, through Jesus' preaching, discover that God loves them and brings them salvation in the very fullest sense. Their eyes will be opened and they will see things now from God's point of view.
Besides appreciating the attractiveness of Jesus' personality the first disciples suddenly have the insight that this man Jesus is the one who knows the answers to all their questions, the one who can help them to achieve a completely new perspective on life. This is why they leave everything and follow him. They suddenly understand that Jesus can give them the only thing worth having —knowledge of God.
The same goes for us. It is this realisation that the only real answers to the great questions of life are to be found in Jesus that triggers our desire to follow him. Unlike the disciples we don't actually see the man, all we have are his words recorded in the Gospels. And yet still we have chosen to follow him. It must be because we have been given the insight to see that he really is the way, the truth and the life, just as he claimed to be. This is surely the action of God's grace in our lives.
We are the Apostles for the world we inhabit. It is our task to become so well acquainted with the message of Jesus that we can teach it to others. We therefore need to immerse ourselves in the Gospel, to become completely familiar with the words of Jesus and know him deeply through a lively conversation with him in prayer. It is only when we do these things that we will become effective in our task.
This sounds like a lot to live up to. It sounds perhaps more than we bargained for. It might even be something we are very reluctant to do. But be clear, this is our mission; this is our God given task. He chose us; we did not choose him. His grace has been quietly acting in our lives all along. We might think that we are not worthy or able for the task but he knows best.
Those first Apostles weren't made of very promising material and I don't suppose we are either. And even while they were with him they misunderstood his intentions and went so far as to desert and even deny him. And yet these were the ones he chose; they were the ones on whom he built his Church.
They deserted him but he did not desert them. And when Jesus ascended to the Father he bequeathed them his Holy Spirit to be with them as a guide and protector. This same Spirit has been poured out on us and he is with us in this great task we have been given to make Christ known to the world.
In taking up this task, like the first Apostles, we will find that there are things we must leave behind. And like them too, this is a journey we embark on without knowing where it will lead us. But it is a journey of faith, under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit and undertaken on behalf of Jesus Christ himself. We are his ambassadors, we are his Apostles, we are his messengers of love to the world. How can we refuse such a mission?
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January 22, 2017 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
