Reflection for January 24, 2021

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Jonah 3:1-5, 10   |   Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9   |   1 Corinthians 7:29-31   |   Mark 1:14-20

The readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year B invite us to be transformed by the call of Jesus. The Church desires for us to "grow-into" and "get with the program."

A little boy was sitting on a park bench in obvious pain. A man walking by asked him what was wrong. The young boy said, "I'm sitting on a bumble bee." The man urgently asked, "Then why don't you get up?" The boy replied, "Because I figure I'm hurting him more than he is hurting me!" How many of us handle forgiveness like this little boy? We endure pain for the sadistic satisfaction of believing we are hurting our offender more than he is hurting us. When we get off the bench of unforgiveness both parties can begin to realize relief from their pain.
Are you prepared for God to not only love you but also your enemies? Jonah is the story of a lukewarm prophet who is angry because of the mercy God shows Nineveh. Jonah did not want grace extended to his enemies. He was doing his best to make sure Nineveh doesn’t repent. He was fearful that God would be merciful and gracious and forgiving to them if they show true change of heart. He didn't want them to escape God's wrath to satisfy his own sense of justice. For him, the Assyrians deserve punishment because they were particularly cruel to his people. Inspite of this, Jonah got what he didn’t deserve: God’s compassion and mercy on him when he was completely disobedient and unforgiving. God ordained a big fish to swallow Jonah, and he stayed there for three days. Finally, Jonah found in his heart to forgive the Assyrians not because they deserved forgiveness but because he deserved peace. Only after he learned to forgive was he able to teach the Assyrians about repentance.
In Berlin art gallery is a painting by German painter Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel (1815-1905). Only partially finished. Intended to show Fredrick the Great speaking with some of his generals before the Battle of Leuthen. The monumental painting contains the background and the generals standing in a semi-circle, but the main figure of king Frederick the Great was left blank. Menzel’s famous painting is a picture of many lives. The background of career, interests, pursuits and achievement is complete. The faces of significant people like family, friends and colleagues surround. But the central and most important figure is left incomplete— Jesus. Many Christians come to end of life without ever having put Christ into his proper place, center stage.
Why is detachment of the things of this world so important? The second reading emphasizes the shortness of life and thus infers the gravity of the coming judgment. St. Paul warns us that time is short, and one must not hesitate because "the world in its present form is passing away." Paul emphasizes about detachment. He warned against obsessing over routines to the point of blindness. God and the Good News were first. Everything else was second. All in its place.
Mang Ruben, a fisherman from the coastal area of Bacoor was out fishing in a small boat. He noticed another man, Kuya Danilo, in a small boat open his tackle box and take out a mirror. Being curious Mang Ruben rowed over and asked, "What is the mirror for?" "That's my secret way to catch fish," said Kuya Danilo. "Shine the mirror on the top of the water. The fish notice the spot of sun on the water above and they swim to the surface. Then I just reach down and net them and pull them into the boat." "Wow! Does that really work?" "You bet it does." "Would you be interested in selling that mirror? I'll give you ₱300 for it." "Well, okay." After the money was transferred, the Mang Ruben asked, "By the way, how many fish have you caught this week?" "You're the sixth," Kuya Danilo said.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls the fishermen, Simon and Andrew, James and John, to be his disciples. The quickness of their response would seem to suggest they were ready for a change! Instead of carrying on the family tradition of fishing, these men could now imagine a different future. In saying yes to Jesus, one can only wonder what new things they would discover about themselves. As he made this invitation to the first followers, He too invites us personally to leave our nets to follow him and make his call the most important thing in our lives. What is the change of heart, attitude or mind to which you are being called? In today’s Eucharist, we pray that God might awaken us from any routine that is stifling our spirit. May we accept the invitation to be created anew in Him. <enrique,ofs>The readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year B invite us to be transformed by the call of Jesus. The Church desires for us to "grow-into" and "get with the program."