Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Scripture Readings: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; First Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
Throughout the ages the world has known many leaders and guides, kings, queens, pharaohs, and presidents, as well as chiefs, generals, moderators and coordinators. Among them all in the history of the world, there has not been another leader comparable to Jesus Christ.
No one has had the influence that Jesus had, who, while being a leader, at the same time was a servant to all whom he led and whom he still leads today. That is leadership at its finest, and Jesus is the supreme example of this. Jesus leads all people to a relationship with the living God in this life and the possibility of eternal happiness with God, the fullness of life, after this earthly sojourn.
In the Gospel text assigned to this Sunday in Ordinary Time we find the Lord choosing fishermen and transforming them into leaders for the Church that Christ came to establish. On the edge of the shore Jesus found fishermen mending their nets and going about their daily chores to support their profession.
Fishing then as today can be a challenging profession. Storms can rise up at sea, fatigue regularly sets in and some days pass without success, with boredom and discouragement regular occurrences.
Such was the life of some Galilean fisherman two millennia ago, when one day there appeared among them a young rabbi or teacher with a new challenge, which initially must have sounded quite absurd: leave your nets and work, Jesus said, come follow me and I will make you fishers of men and women.
Those words may have sounded like quite a
ridiculous proposal to the first disciples. Despite the jarring words and the grandiose proposal, it obviously caught the attention of the hearers. To become more than fishermen held an appeal and ultimately the fishermen followed Jesus, and the rest is history, as they say.
In the depths of every person there exists the desire to be more, to excel, to go beyond the ordinary and the daily and to belong to something and Someone greater than one’s self. The Christian vocation is a response to the call of the Lord to leave all and follow him. Some may do this in the specific way in the religious life or priesthood, but all of us, in whatever state of life, are being asked by Jesus to prefer nothing whatever to him, because “Jesus has preferred nothing whatever to us,” as the early Christian martyr Saint Cyprian of Carthage so beautifully expressed it.
The Lord demonstrated that preference for us by dying on the cross so that we might be freed from eternal death and enjoy immortal life with the Blessed Trinity, the angels and all the saints.
When the first disciples followed Jesus they left their nets and much that was familiar to them. It may not have been a lot, but it was everything that they had and knew. They took a leap of faith in the hope of finding something greater than what they had. But the change would also mean sacrifices. It meant a commitment through thick and thin to adhere to the Lord and follow in his footsteps, even when it entailed suffering and pain.
The same is true of every follower of Christ today. We are not promised a bed of roses, a life free from sorrow, if we are baptized, confirmed and receive the other sacraments. No, the life of any disciple of Jesus will have its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows, and always in the midst of that is a living God who assures us that our suffering is not in vain, but for the building up of the one body of Christ throughout the world in the mystery of transformative suffering.
Life is much more than mere survival: going to working, eating regularly, paying the bills and the rest. The life of a Christian, while never leaving out the need of earning our daily bread, is a life of service and sacrifice, putting others first, giving of one’s time and talents, good words and deeds to the cause of Jesus Christ living and present in his Church and in the world.
No matter how difficult or painful our lives may seem, we believe that the hand of God is always present, assuring us and leading us to living waters. We are never alone, even if we may feel we are, for Jesus has promised to be with us always, as for example in Matthew 28:20, where we hear, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Saint Paul reminds us today that “the time is short,” for, “the world as we know it is passing away.” In other words, now is the acceptable hour to allow Jesus Christ into the center of our lives. This may well include doing with less so that others may have more, pouring out our lives in loving service of our families, our community, our parish and our world in general.
Our committment to Christ will take on different forms for different people, but “none of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself,” as Saint Paul told the Christians of Rome (Romans 14:7). Furthermore, “If we live, we live for the Lord and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Ibid 14:8).
We are always being given opportunities to grow in greater love and sincere dedication to God. We may indeed question and change previous ways of living when our life is completely given over to God and neighbor.
We may have led good lives for many years, but God is calling us to live even better lives. That is the essence of the Christian vocation which all of us have received.
Too many people perhaps consider their faith a very personal matter, with little or no relationship to other people.
Some may think that as long as they say certain prayers and attend Mass regularly, for example, that they have fulfilled their Christian duties. But the Christian life is meant to make a difference in the world, what may seem on a very small scale, having a positive influence in the lives of those around us, be they our families, our co-workers, our fellow parishioners, whomever.
In that sense there is in fact no such thing as “a small scale” when it comes to living out our Christian vocation.
The gift of faith we have received is not a lamp to adorn the house. The Lord says we are light for the world, so are called to enlighten others with the good news that Christ is risen from the dead and with us still, bestowing life without measure to all who will receive it.
The apostles set aside their nets in order to become pillars of the Church. They were compelled to see and work with all their might for the bigger picture, the salvation of the human race, which Christ came to bring. Their field of influence, like ours, is meant to be without limits. A
ll people are lovingly invited into the flock of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We, like the apostles, are fishermen, and should never tire of doing good to all in the name of Christ.
May the Holy Eucharist, the center of our Catholic worship, encourage and strengthen us for the work we are called to do today and always as followers of the Lord. It is a great and exciting mission and all of us are part of it by virtue of our baptism.
Fr Christian Leisy, OSB, Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Abiquiu, New Mexico
