Now, Not Later

“Jesus said to them,
‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’
Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.”

Mark 1:17-18

In this Sunday’s readings we hear once again of call narratives but also a call to action. We read of Jonah’s preaching to the Ninevites and his warning of impending destruction if they do not turn from their wicked ways. In the Gospel, Jesus also calls for repentance, not simply to turn from their old ways or to do what they know in their hearts to be right, but Jesus also gives a command — “believe in the gospel.”

In the Greek, the word used for gospel is εὐαγγέλιον, which has come to mean “gospel” or “Good News” as we know it today, but for the Romans it was truly good news. It was a proclamation that the battle is over and that victory has been won. This “gospel” that Jesus brings is not another book to add to the canon of Scripture, but is a living message, a message that brings life, a message that is Christ Himself. The Good News is that slavery to sin has been lifted and death no longer has the final word. But we must come to accept this News, we must come to accept the One through whom this Good News comes and who is the living message itself.

In Mark’s Gospel we come to see that there is a sense of urgency or immediacy in his writing. We will often read “and immediately…” in his Gospel. That is to show that the need for conversion is urgent and that the time is now and not later. Hence when Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James, and John as we read in today’s Gospel, they immediately follow Jesus, leaving behind everything. They understood that to follow Jesus was the most important thing to do and it was something that could not wait. If you knew that something amazing was waiting for you behind the door, would you leave and come back later to open the door? It would be ridiculous. And brothers and sisters, that is the approach we ought to have to the call of Jesus for us in our lives.

We must answer His call to follow Him now, today. What is holding us back? What are those nets we are still holding on to that keep us from following Jesus? Peter (Simon) and Andrew abandoned their nets, that which symbolized their old life — the life they have come to know, the life that kept them in their comfort zone — immediately because they believed that the life Jesus calls them too is far greater. Yes, it asks them to move outside of their comfort zone, but they wouldn’t be alone. Jesus would be with them. Jesus remains with us today. Brother and sisters, if Jesus has called us, He will not abandon us; He will provide for us and will give us all that we need to live out our call. The time is now, brothers and sisters, to say “yes” to Christ, to abandon our nets, and to follow Him. The time is now, not later.

Click below to watch today’s reflection.

Called and Chosen

“Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
‘What are you looking for?’”

John 1:38a

Have you ever been chosen to be a part of a team? Do you recall as a child in the school playground when the two team captains begin to choose people to be a part of their team and your name is called? How did it feel? Or maybe you didn’t get called or maybe called last? How did it feel? Sometimes when we are not called or chosen for something we question our value and worth because something in our hearts tell us that we were not good enough, but that’s not necessarily the case. Sometimes we are not chosen for one thing because something else awaits us.

Young Samuel heard a voice in the middle of the night and he thought it was Eli who had called him so he went and inquired. But, Eli said he had not called him. Later Eli realized that the Lord was calling out to Samuel so he instructed him to say, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening” if he heard the Voice again. He did and the LORD remained with him, sustaining him in the call to which He has called Samuel.

As Jesus began His public ministry, John the Baptist remained steadfast in His call in testifying to Jesus, crying out in the desert to make straight the paths, and baptizing in the Jordan. While with two of his disciples, John the Baptist caught sight of Jesus and he said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Those two disciples in turn followed Jesus and stayed with Him. An interesting detail here is that the disciples of John became disciples of Jesus, showing us the fruit of fulfilling one’s call. John the Baptist’s call was to testify to Christ and to point the way to Christ for others, and his life did just that. When the appointed time had come and having been taught and prepared by John, the disciples followed the Master Teacher, the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Brothers and sisters, we too have been called and chosen, not for the world, but for heaven. When the world rejects us it is because God has claimed us for His own. When others in this world refuse to befriend us, it is because our true friends are yet to be revealed. Rejection is never a gauge of our worth or dignity, but rather a reminder that something greater awaits us and that Someone has already called and chosen us. We have been called and chosen by God.

Click below to watch the reflection.

You Are My Beloved

“And a voice came from the heavens, 
‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”

Mark 1:11

Traditionally, the Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, and the Wedding Feast of Cana are commonly grouped together in celebration because they are all visible divine manifestations of Jesus. With the Epiphany, it is made known that Jesus is King of all the nations and with the Wedding Feast of Cana we see the divine authority of Jesus in even the ordinary life of the people, revealing that our God is a God who cares about the day to day events of the people, even running out of wine at a wedding! Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, something that at face value seems silly — if baptism is to wipe away sins, why is Jesus, who is sinless, getting baptized?

Jesus desired to be baptized by John not because He was in need of cleansing or that He somehow needed it to partake in the divine life of the Father and the Holy Spirit, but because He desired to be in solidarity with the people and to show what is needed to be done to live as children of God. Rather than being cleansed by the water, Jesus sanctified the water by His act of humility and by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who descended upon Jesus as He emerged from the water. How symbolic of the Exodus of the Israelites, whom God led from slavery into new life by crossing the waters of the Red Sea. Jesus, having taken on the sins of humanity, passed through the waters of the Jordan, washing away the death our sins merited us and emerging with the light of eternal life, that which by our baptism we now dare hope.

Upon coming from the water, the voice of the Father spoke to the Son, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased,” affirming the the identity of the Son and the source of His authority. Those same words the Father speaks to each one of us today: “You are my beloved son and daughter; with you I am well pleased.” Out of His great love for us, God sent His only begotten Son into the world to be born as we are born and to be baptized so that we might have the hope of eternal life, and to tell us that we are His beloved and that He is pleased with us. God calls us His beloved for He has loved us from all eternity, and He is pleased with us — just us. God is not pleased with us because we excel in our studies or workplaces or because we go to Mass or avoid sin, or even because we bring others into the Church, all of which are great things! But God simply loves us for we who are. God loves us in our weaknesses, in our brokenness, in our vulnerability, and God even loves us through our sinfulness. God loves us and stoops down to meet us in our weak, fragile humanity to raise us up to share in His divinity. How blessed are we? How blessed are we that God loves us so much? And the Father sent His Son into the world to show us just that.

Don’t forget, the Father says to you today, “You are my beloved, and with you I am well pleased.”