kellym40 General

Believe in the Gospel

Today’s readings on this Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, are all about reflecting and repenting. Jesus talks about repenting our sins and believing in the gospel and gathering followers (apostles). We saw this last week when Jesus picked up some followers in Andrew and Simon Peter.

However, the gospel today is more than just gathering followers. As I mentioned, it is about repenting and believing in the gospel. Believing in the kingdom. It may even sound like St. Paul and Mark’s gospel are at odds with each other as each passage today appears to contradict each other. I will get to that more a little later.

I would like to start with the first reading today from the prophet Jonah in Chapter 3. In the scripture, God tells him to warn the people of Nineveh about pending destruction God had planned for them because of their wicked ways. Jonah proclaims the news to Nineveh and the people believed and “proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.” (Jonah 3:5) God then saw how the people repented and withdrew his promise of causing evil and repented from harming them. So in this, I believe holding on to faith and having a full prayer life is important to maintain a fulfilling existence. This in turn can help with having a perpetual belief and faith in the gospel.

In Psalm 25 today, the psalmist is repenting and asking God for guidance and security through life:

“Make known to me your ways, Lord; teach me your paths; guide me by your fidelity and teach me, for you are God my savior, for you I wait all the day long. Remember no more those sins of my youth, remember me according to your mercy, because of your goodness, Lord.” (Psalm 25: 4-5, 7)

St. Paul tells the Corinthians “time is running out,” (1 Corinthians 7:29) whereas, in Mark’s gospel, Jesus says, ‘”This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.“‘ (Mark 1:15) How can the kingdom of God be at hand if St. Paul says the time is coming for fulfillment? I believe what St. Paul is saying, we may always have temptations and forget about the urgency of the gospel message and feel “the world in its present form is passing away,” (1 Corinthians 7:31) and that time may be running short. This, I believe, only perpetuates the need to believe in the gospel and to turn away from one’s sins to bring the gospel message to fulfillment.

In Mark’s gospel today, Jesus is referring to John the Baptist being arrested when he talks about the kingdom of God being here. For Jesus, John’s arrest meant the final moment when the old covenant was rejected, which now made room for the new covenant with Jesus. It is the good news Jesus brings in with the new covenant to bring about the new order of things. This of course comes to fulfillment with Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection.

Do not worry about present worldly things. Think about the good things, such as sharing the gospel and making “fishers of men,” (Mark 1:17) and living the spiritual life within the glory of God through Jesus in God’s kingdom.

kellym40 General

Listen to the Call

This Sunday marks the second Sunday in Ordinary Time in the Catholic Church. Ordinary Time marks the period between the other holy seasons within the Church. Those seasons include Lent, Easter, Advent and Christmas. So there are two periods of Ordinary Time, the longest of which lasts from the end of Easter to Advent, and thus starts a whole new year in the Church.

Ordinary Time reflects on the life of Jesus and what it means to be a good disciple. Today’s readings reflect listening and responding to God’s call as a disciple and follower of Christ. How do we listen and respond to God? I believe the number one way is through prayer. After all, prayer is essentially a conversation with God. I have mentioned before in a series of posts about the importance of prayer and what a powerful tool it is, not only to intercede for others, but also just to listen and commune with God. The following is a link to my first in a series of posts about prayer. https://wordpress.com/post/kellymelies.com/818

Part of the faith is evangelizing. The gospel today illustrates this with John the Baptist, who is standing with a couple of his disciples. Jesus walks by and John says, “…Behold, the Lamb of God.” ( John 1:36, NAB) What did those two immediately do? They followed Jesus. Andrew, one of the two and brother of Simon Peter, found Simon Peter and brought him to Jesus.

This is how we evangelize, by introducing one person to another. In this case, it was Andrew introducing Simon Peter to Jesus. The disciples asked Jesus where he was staying and Jesus replied, “Come, and you will see.” (John 1: 39, NAB) This continued as Jesus gathered more followers as it is shown in the rest of Chapter 1.

The first reading today is from the First Book of Samuel, Chapter 3, where Samuel is sleeping in the temple where the ark of God was. Unknown to Samuel, God began to speak to Samuel and call out his name. Samuel, thinking it was Eli, went to him. Eli sent him back to bed. And then the Lord called a second and third time. At the third time when Samuel went to Eli, he told Samuel the next time to answer the voice, “…Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9, NAB)

When I read the first reading here, it reminds me of a couple of hymns that were chosen for mass today in my local church. “Here I Am, Lord” by Dan Schutte. The hymn opens up with the Lord speaking:

“I, the Lord of seas and sky, I have heard my people cry. All who dwell in dark and sin my hand will save. I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright. Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?“

The servant replies:

“Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.“

I feel that should be our response. Listen for the Lord and answer the call to follow and do what is asked of you. This is one of my favorite hymns. I remember in college at my time at The Newman Center on the campus of the University of Central Missouri (formerly Central Missouri State University – more on that at another time perhaps), this was one of the hyms we played frequently at our student masses, where I helped accompany the choir on guitar. The other hymn I was reminded of was by John D. Becker called “Lead Me, Lord.” It was another frequent hymn we played. The refrain of the hymn appeared to ask the Lord for guidance and to lead the servant on all paths:

“Lead me, Lord, lead me, Lord, by the light of truth to seek and to find the narrow way. Be my way; by my truth; by my life, my Lord, and lead me, Lord today.“

Both of these hymns remind me of good times filled with laughter, fellowship and faith. But I digress.

The Psalm today is another beautiful hymn of praise to honor and worship the Lord. The psalmist cries out, “…See, I come with an inscribed scroll written upon me. I delight to do your will , my God; your law is in my inner being.” (Psalm 40:8-9, NAB)

The second reading from the New Testament, I believe, brings the message home. Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians that God loves us. We are called to love and be loved as God’s children. Father Mike Schmitz, of Ascension and The Bible in a Year podcast, says the God has a claim on your life. Paul’s first letter illustrates this as he writes:

“…The body, however, is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.” (1 Corinthians 6:13b, NAB)

The Church is the body of Christ. We all make up the parts of the body of Christ. When one member suffers, then we all suffer. Saint Paul talks about this later in Chapter 12:

“As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. … If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 26, NAB)

Paul states we have all been “purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20, NAB) God calls us to be with him in heaven. What we do here on earth should be in preparation for our spiritual lives in heaven for eternity with God. Therefore, it should be good practice to evangelize (as spoken in today’s gospel) to whomever you can reach for the glory of God.

Here I am, Lord, your servant is listening, waiting for you to lead me with truth and light through the narrow way.

Today’s Readings:
1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19
Psalm 40: 2, 4, 7-10
1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20
John 1:35-42