Reflection
Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 1:1-8
Psalm 116:12-13, 14-17, 18-19
Mark 1:14-20
In today’s gospel, with the loss of the freedom of John the Baptist, the time for preparation, the build-up and promises of the Old Testament have ended, the time of salvation has begun. Jesus moves from overlapping ministry with John in Judea, to Galilee, where he inaugurates his mission with the proclamation that ‘The Kingdom of God is at Hand.’ In his commentaries on this passage, St. Jerome reminds us that: “This expression of ‘The Kingdom of God’ is not found in the law, or the prophets, or the psalter, it appears only in the Gospel.” This was new language, expressing the time of fulfilment, everything that the Jews had hoped, prayed, and waited for has come to completion in the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee, and calls the fishermen, Simon, Andrew, James, and John, and declares that he will make them fishers of men. They follow him immediately, even though it is unlikely that they understand what he means by that, however, they must recognize something in this calling, to leave their boats, their way of life, their way of making a living, and even their families. They glimpse the divinity within the humanity of the person of Christ. The apostles were open to the message and willing to sacrifice everything they knew, for the unknown. This was something new, authoritative, and compelling. Imagine if they had let Jesus pass by!
As we pray the third Luminous Mystery of the Rosary: The Proclamation of the Kingdom, we focus on this very gospel passage, and the mission of Jesus, which he passed on to his disciples and to us. As Jesus proclaimed to us, inner conversion is necessary for anyone wishing to participate in the Kingdom of God, we must repent and believe. We must be prepared to make sacrifices for the sake of the Kingdom.
The invitation of Jesus requires a response. It is of paramount importance that we take up the mission, and, like the apostles, become fishers of men. So today, let’s ask ourselves: If Jesus walked by me today, calling my name, would I follow him, immediately, or would I miss the invitation because I am too attached to my schedule, my possessions, my way of doing things? Am I willing to spread the good news myself, as the apostles did? How should I prepare myself to do this? Am I excited by the invitation to participate in the mission of making disciples? Jesus is inviting us today!