{"id":2405,"date":"2018-01-21T12:41:57","date_gmt":"2018-01-21T17:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=2405"},"modified":"2018-01-21T12:41:57","modified_gmt":"2018-01-21T17:41:57","slug":"3rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b-homily-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/3rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b-homily-2\/","title":{"rendered":"3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"

3rd<\/sup> Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B<\/a>
\nJonah 3:1-5, 10
\nPsalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
\n1 Corinthians 7:29-31
\nMark 1:14-20
\nJanuary 21, 2018<\/p>\n

Back at the start of December we began a new liturgical year.\u00a0 Our readings as found in the Lectionary for Sunday are based on a three-year cycle.\u00a0 Each of the three years features one of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.\u00a0 The Gospel of John is used during Lent, Easter, and Christmas in each of the three years.<\/p>\n

This year we are in Year B.\u00a0 That means we read predominantly from Mark\u2019s Gospel.\u00a0 However, during Advent and Christmas we did not hear much from Mark as the familiar Christmas stories are found mainly in Matthew and Luke.<\/p>\n

So, having entered into Ordinary Time, we now begin a semi-continuous reading of Mark\u2019s Gospel until Lent.\u00a0 Our gospel today picks up at the point where Jesus is beginning his public ministry.<\/p>\n

While it is the beginning <\/strong>of his public ministry, his message is not entirely new.\u00a0 As he begins proclaiming the gospel he says, \u201cThe kingdom of God is at hand.<\/em>\u00a0 Repent and believe in the gospel<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 This continues what John the Baptist had been saying as he called for a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.\u00a0 John came to \u201cprepare the way of the Lord\u201d<\/em> and Jesus picks up from where John left off.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Jesus makes possible the forgiveness of our sins by his death on the Cross (proof that suffering has value).\u00a0 However, repentance was not something new<\/strong> with the coming of Jesus.<\/p>\n

We need to look no further than our first reading today.\u00a0 The people of Nineveh had embraced a life of sin.\u00a0 God sends Jonah to proclaim the destruction of Nineveh.\u00a0 How did the people respond to Jonah\u2019s words?\u00a0 They repented, proclaiming a fast and putting on sackcloth.\u00a0 Because of their repentance, God stopped the destruction he had threatened.<\/p>\n

They had turned away from God\u2019s ways.\u00a0 The same still happens today.\u00a0 Instead of focusing on God\u2019s ways, we do what we want.\u00a0 We learn a little<\/strong> about our faith as children and then stop but being a disciple is a lifelong experience.\u00a0 What we learn about our faith as little children is just the tip of the iceberg.\u00a0 We need to constantly ask God to teach us his ways, to show us the path, and to guide us in his Truth.<\/p>\n

God summons all of us to be his disciples.\u00a0 He calls us forth to follow him.\u00a0 The second part of our gospel today tells us the story of Jesus calling Simon, Andrew, James, and John to be his disciples.<\/p>\n

They responded immediately and whole heartedly. Simon and Andrew abandoned their nets.\u00a0 James and John left their father.\u00a0 We might think, \u201cIf only our response could be as strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, their response was not perfect and absolute.\u00a0 Simon Peter will rebuke Jesus the first time Jesus tells them of his coming passion.\u00a0 James and John will seek places of honor.\u00a0 They will all scatter when Jesus is arrested.<\/p>\n

Likewise, if all we ever read from the story of Jonah is today\u2019s passage we simply hear that God told Jonah to announce the message that God will give him and Jonah\u2019s response seems to be perfect as he does it.<\/p>\n

However, if you look at the verses of today\u2019s first reading, you will see it comes from the third chapter of Jonah.\u00a0 Going back to the first chapter, God had told Jonah to go to Nineveh but Jonah refused and fled.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to go.\u00a0 Jonah ended up in the belly of a great fish for three days.\u00a0 He repented and did what God says.\u00a0 However, if you read the rest of the Book of Jonah, you will see that Jonah is not happy.\u00a0 He wanted God to destroy Nineveh.\u00a0 Jonah had done as God directed but he still needed to work on what was in his own heart.<\/p>\n

It takes time to fully turn our hearts to God and \u201ctime is running out.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 Sooner or later we will die and then we will be judged.\u00a0 How will we fair?<\/p>\n

I ask this in the context of each of us thinking about it as individuals.\u00a0 Are we individually following God\u2019s ways?<\/p>\n

However, we also need to think about it as a society.\u00a0 Our second reading ends today with Paul\u2019s words, \u201cFor the world in its present form is passing away<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Paul writes these words in the context of the Second Coming of Jesus that will bring the end of this world.\u00a0 This is still true today as we await the Second Coming. \u00a0However, I also look at Paul\u2019s words \u201cpassing away<\/em>\u201d in the context of where our values as a society are going.\u00a0 Are we following God\u2019s way or are we passing away into sin?<\/p>\n

There are people who will talk about the wonderful freedoms of today.\u00a0 They say we are free to choose whatever we want.\u00a0 We can choose whatever we want but are we truly free to choose what we want<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

I am afraid many are not as free as they think.\u00a0 It is true that God gives us the freedom to choose our actions.\u00a0 The problem comes when those who talk about the great freedoms of society today insist that we not talk about what our faith teaches.<\/p>\n

If people do not hear about God\u2019s ways, both in the context of commandments and<\/strong> the reason behind the commandments, they are not truly free.\u00a0 One is only truly free when they hear both sides.\u00a0 God allows evil to have its say.\u00a0 We need to make sure God\u2019s ways are heard.<\/p>\n

When we face decisions, we need to ask what God has to say about what choices we have.\u00a0 To make an informed choose we need to ask why God commands as he does so that we understand what his way truly is.\u00a0 For instance, we all know the commandment thou shall not kill.\u00a0 Do we also hear Jesus\u2019 words that the commandment centers on not being angry?<\/p>\n

We are not perfect.\u00a0 God knows that but we have to try and do our best.\u00a0 If we fall short (and we do), then we know we can repent and believe in the gospel that tells us that Jesus dies for the forgiveness of sins.<\/p>\n

May we always see to know and live in God\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20 January 21, 2018 Back at the start of December we began a new liturgical year.\u00a0 Our readings as found in the Lectionary for Sunday are based on a three-year cycle.\u00a0 Each of the three years features …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[9,82],"tags":[393,394,395,396],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMTPk-CN","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2405"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2406,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405\/revisions\/2406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}