Sunday:       3 RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME          
Date:         January 23, 2000
Year:         B
The readings: [Jon. 3:1-4, 10; 1 Cor. 7:29-31; Mk. 1:14-20]
The message:  FOLLOW ME AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN.
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  1393

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Follow me and I will make you fishers of men! Good morning my spiritual brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus. This week is a special week. It is the week of prayer for Christian unity. To achieve the universal Christian unity that we are praying for, it is necessary for the children of God to be faithful to their vows of obedience to the Pope and the Magisterium of the Holy Catholic Church.

In this year's cycle of the Liturgical Readings, emphasis is placed on answering one's religious calling. Last year, the emphasis was placed on the lives of the lay people, the children of God who are married and those who remain single.

In this week of Christian unity, there is a necessity to pray for those who administer the Body of Christ, our beloved Pope John- Paul II, the Cardinals, the Bishops, the priests, the Deacons and the brothers and sisters who are committed to a religious life. These prayers are necessary to ensure the fullness of the unity of the Church as led by the Spirit of God, thus avoiding division through schisms because of strange doctrines that are not in harmony with the teachings of the Gospel of Christ.

In today's First Reading from the Book of Jonah, we heard how Jonah answered God's calling. Jonah was told to get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and to proclaim the message of the Lord.

In complete obedience to the Lord God, Jonah set out and went to Nineveh. He proclaimed the Word of God, advising the sinful people that in forty days, their city would be overthrown. Believing God, the people realized that they had sinned against Him. Immediately, they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, from the greatest to the least important, put on sackcloths. A sackcloth is a coarse cloth worn as a symbol of mourning or penitence. It is not something very comfortable to wear but it serves its purpose of making a sacrifice for the grace of God to be dispensed upon the sincere heart that applies this method of repentance alongside with a fast.

As we heard, the people turned away from their evil ways. Consequently, God changed His mind about the calamity that He was about to send to Nineveh. Through Jonah, the faithful servant of the Lord, the people were once more united in the righteous ways of the Lord God.

Reviewing the Second Reading from the First Letters to the Corinthians, to some, it may appear to be a little harder to understand. Paul tells those who have wives to act as if they have none, those who mourn as though they were not mourning, those who rejoice as if they were not rejoicing, those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world, as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

To understand this passage that refers to the religious life, it is necessary to review other parts of the First Letter to the Corinthians. It is necessary to ask ourselves, what is Paul talking about? We find that answer in 1 Corinthians 10:11 where Paul says that Christians are already living in the last days, on whom the ends of the ages have come. There are no other coming ages. Contrary to what some of our separated brothers and sisters believe, there is no coming worldly Kingdom of God or a thousand years of peace when Jesus will reign on earth. The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom. It is invisible and among us.

The final age began with the glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, believers are united into the Risen Lord. [Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12-3] Through one's living faith in the hope of things to come, believers are already in the future. They have passed away from the desires and pleasures of this world, having fixed their eyes on Jesus in Heaven. They await patiently the glorious moment when their own bodies will be resurrected in the glory of the Lord Jesus. [Gal. 1:20; Rom. 8:9- 11, 23; Eph. 1:19]

When we received the indwelling Holy Spirit at Baptism, we received the "first payment", our "first instalment", and the guarantee of the full payment of the glorious Christian inheritance. [Eph. 1:13-4; 2 Cor. 1:22, 5:5]

When the glorious resurrection of the bodies is fulfilled, there will be neither marrying nor giving in marriage. [Mk. 12:25; Mt. 22:30] As such, Paul teaches that virginity, the religious life, is a better state of life for the Christian than marriage.

The virgin envisions the life of the resurrection, virginity placing the baptized person in the future to come. Those who are married, because of the responsibilities related to the married life that places the man and woman in the affairs of the world which is passing away, those responsibilities are an obstacle to a complete dedication and devotional life to the things of the Lord.

As such, the celibate and the virgin, are free of the family responsibilities. They already realize in anticipation the perfect consecration to God in body and spirit that will characterize the life of glory. [1 Cor. 7:32-4]

In today's Reading of the Gospel of Mark, we heard Jesus calling Simon, Andrew, James, the son of Zebedee and his brother John. Each and everyone of them left what they were doing to answer the calling of Jesus to the religious life, a life of self- denial and ongoing sacrifices. By answering their calling, they became faithful servants of the Lord, their names going down in history so we may remember their example, their living faith in Christ.

Jesus said, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." Fishers of men are the dedicated ministers of the Word of God, those who go forward and evangelize to the world as Jonah obeyed, as Paul obeyed, as all the disciples of Jesus obeyed, some even to death.

In this week of prayer for Christian unity, we must pray for our religious leaders. We must ask the Lord Jesus to strengthen them in their obedience to the Church and in their vows of chastity. During the last decade, Satan has rocked the Church. We have all heard of a number of scandals within the Church that go back decades. During the last decade, we have heard of the fruits of Satan that were slowly tempting our religious leaders in the flesh during their weak moments, this in an attempt to destroy the Church. Had we prayed more for our religious leaders, surely, the grace of God would have helped them overcome their temptations.

To lead His Church by the grace of God the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus chose men and women who are weak human beings. He did not choose angels. Had He done so, we would have angels ministering to us. Having chosen weak human beings, our religious leaders are no different than anyone else. They face temptation. They sin. Remember that Peter denied knowing Jesus three times when his life was threatened. Where were the disciples of Jesus when He was arrested? They all ran away! But that is the kind of people that Jesus chose in His Divine Wisdom.

Knowing this, there is a necessity for the members of the Church to pray for its leaders... not just this week, but throughout the entire year. Your leaders need your prayers as much as you need their prayers. Prayer is not a one way thing. Jesus wants us all to be united as one in His Body. We must pray for each other if we sincerely desire to overcome the power of Satan that is viciously attacking the Church.

As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, preparing ourselves to participate in the great Feast of the Holy Eucharist in the Presence of the Lord Jesus, let each and everyone of us ask Jesus to be gracious in providing religious vocations to lead His Church. Let each and everyone of us ask Jesus to strengthen those who answer His calling so Satan will not overcome them during their weak moments. Let each and everyone of us pray for those who have fallen to sin, that they may once more rise and take their place as fruitful and obedient servants of the Lord Jesus.

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah, saying, 'Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.' So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.

Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, 'Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!' And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it." [Jon. 3:1-5, 10]

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Second Reading...

"Brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away." [1 cor. 7:29-31]

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Gospel Reading...

"After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.

As jesus passed along the Sea of galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea - for they were fisherman. And jesus said to them, 'Follow me and I will make you fishers of people.' And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

As jesus went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him." [Mk. 1:14-20]

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