2024/01/21 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
-Lori Howard, Associate Director of Liturgy
In this week’s Gospel from Mark, we see the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as he begins to call the disciples. In today’s Gospel, we learn that John the Baptist has been arrested. Jesus goes to Galilee and proclaims, "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." As he passes the Sea of Galilee, he sees Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea. He tells them “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men”. They drop their nets and follow Jesus. Then they encounter James and John and they too leave what they are doing and follow Jesus.
The faith of the disciples is always so inspiring! As someone who needs to plan and know what the next steps are, I often marvel at how they all just walked away from what they were doing to follow Jesus, not knowing where it would lead. Did they know him at all? Had they been following him and were just waiting, hoping to be asked? I think it’s the perfect passage to lead us into the New Year!
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to embrace a deeper understanding of the Gospel. For the Feast of St. Clement, we were all asked to commit to one of our parish Anchors. As someone who spends a lot of time in the church, my commitment to prayer is not what it should be! The business of every day keeps me distracted from taking the time to prayer and to connect with God. I have committed to deepening my prayer life and my first step in this journey is Bible in One Year which I love. Each night before I go to bed, I reflect on the selections for the day. I have watched the first season of “The Chosen” and found the stories to so compelling and heartwarming. I am now halfway through season 2 and it is just as moving as season 1.
I have also started a gratitude journal. I think it is easy for us to lose focus on the presence of God’s kingdom in our lives. What better way to acknowledge his presence than to thank him for all the blessings he gives us. Even on those days when we feel like he hasn’t, he has. We just need to call it to mind and be grateful. Although I am only a few days into my gratitude journal, I already feel that is providing focus on the path that I am meant to follow.
Committing to prayer and recognizing the daily blessings in my life is helping me focus on the call from Jesus. How can you respond to the call and embrace the Kingdom of God in your own life?