Gospel & Reflection for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 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.
Reflection
Friends, ‘The National Prayer Breakfast’ is an annual event held in Washington D.C. usually on the first Thursday in February. It is a bipartisan event where political, religious, and international leaders of all faiths gather for prayer and fellowship. It is organised by members of the American Congress where they pray collectively for their nation, their President, and other national and international leaders, in the spirit of love and reconciliation as Jesus taught. Established in 1953, it is an event often attended by the serving President of American, beginning with President Eisenhower that year.
When the Prayer Breakfast was held in 2006, President George W. Bush was in office and the guest speaker on the day was none other than our own Bono. He had much to say, but amongst his words and pleas for the care of the Third World and greater help for the poor, he revealed his motivation for working with the underprivileged. He said: “A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord’s blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it . . . I have a family, please look after them . . . I have this crazy idea. Etc. This wise man said: “Stop! Stop asking God to bless what you are doing. Instead, get involved in what God is doing — because it is already blessed. Well, God, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing. And that is what He’s calling us to do.”
What a radical idea – getting involved in what God is doing! It is easy to say that we believe in something but to commit to what we believe in, to do what God is doing, that is something else entirely. So easily, Faith can be an idea of the mind, but it really needs courage of action.
In our Gospel this weekend, we hear some of the very first words spoken by Jesus in the Gospels: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is close at hand.” Jesus was calling the people of His own time and us all, to commit our lives to the Good News, asking us to get involved in what God is doing. This call was directed firstly to the Apostles Simon and Andrew, James, and John. They heard the call of following the Good News and leaving everything behind them, they got involved in God’s work. In this response, we see their courage. No doubt but they were pious and believing people. But their faith is tested by what Jesus asks of them. He was asking that they put their faith into action by leaving behind all that was familiar and important to them – livelihood, family, place. He was inviting them to be part of the blessed work of God’s Kingdom and to go forward on a breath-taking, life-altering adventure, and they did.
St. Ignatius once insisted that “love is better shown in deeds than in words.” The courage of doing, of action, is what brings Faith alive more than anything else and which proves our love of God and our faith in Him. As Bono was challenged with, it can’t always be about our personal endeavours; faith must be able to shift our perspective to others.
That does not mean that we stop doing the work we are doing or leave the family that we are part of. It simply means in all that we are doing, and have to do, that we make time to get involved in something of God’s work too. Volunteering, charity involvement, community involvement, Church participation, and ministries. But also, in the busyness of our lives to be available to others; listening, advising, helping out, be present. Hand in hand with all that we must do, there is always an opportunity in some way to do what God is doing, and that work will be blessed.
So, let us not always be asking God to bless what we are doing but let us have the courage to allow Him to show us what He is doing so that we can join in.
This is what He calling us all to do, all of the time.
Fr. Richard
