May the encounter with Jesus in today's Liturgy, help you to accept the reign of God, get converted completely to God and become a good participant in the work of spreading the reign of God in the world. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye.
Doctrine And Faith
(Jonah 3,1-5,10; 1Cor 7,29-31; Mark 1,14-20 3rd Sun of Year, Jan. 21, 2018, Year B)
Let us, in humility be open to the lessons the readings of this Sunday propose to us. The first reading begins with the report that the word of God was coming to the prophet Jonah. But this time, the recipients of the word of God was not Israel, as was usually the case, but Nineveh, Israel’s mortal enemy. Nineveh, situated on the East bank of the Tigris River was then the capital of Assyria and was known throughout the Ancient Near East as one of the most brutal cities of the day. For this reason, it became the symbol for wickedness in the ancient world. It was to this despised city that the prophet was sent with the pronouncement of judgment and punishment. The people of Nineveh heeded the message of the prophet, believed in God and proclaimed a fast. It is striking to note that God was concerned with the salvation of another nation other than Israel, in fact, a nation that had been brutal toward the chosen people. This demonstrates the universality of divine compassion and willingness to forgive. Also noteworthy is that the city renowned for its wickedness repented of its sins as soon as it heard the proclamation of a prophet from one of the backwater nations it had oppressed. This unpretentious prophet from an insignificant nation was heeded without delay. Note also the description of reversal at the end of the story. The people of Nineveh turned from the evil they were doing, and so God turned from the evil that he threatened against them. The sudden conversion of this contemptible city speaks loudly of God’s graciousness and the transformative power of God’s word. Even the worst sinners can repent and be made new.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus inaugurates his ministry with the bold declaration: The kingdom of God is at hand. The term, kingdom of God is rich in theological meaning. In the earliest traditions, it was identified with the people of Israel, and had very definite meaning. However, even in the time of Israel’s monarchy, God was considered the real ruler of the people, and the monarch was the one who administered in the place of God. The failure of the monarchy prompted the people to look to the future, to a time when all would be steadfast in their commitment to God. Down through the ages the prophets looked forward to the future. They encouraged the people to turn away from their lives of sin and to dedicate themselves anew to the reign of God. At the beginning of his public ministry, that is, after the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus perceiving the time then as kairos (a propitious moment for decision or action) inaugurated the reign of God. For Jesus, it was the time of fulfillment of all expectations. Being an auspicious time, Jesus went on to call for repentance/conversion. Just like the prophets of old, he called for a metanoia —a change of heart, a complete return to God. He also called for belief in the truth of the proclamation that the kingdom of God was indeed at hand. The announcement of the good news was followed by an account of the call of the fishermen Simon, Andrew, James and John. Playing with the image of casting nets, Jesus summons them to follow him, to cast their nets and to gather up other followers. Jesus thus gathered the first members of his evangelisation team. We note that, unlike the disciples of other famous rabbis and Greek teachers, these followers were called to work with Jesus, not merely to learn what he had to teach. Again, it is to be noted as significant that while this reading says nothing about the family responsibilities of the brothers Simon and Andrew, it does indicate that James and John have family ties. In a patriarchal society the abandoning of one’s father violated a fundamental kinship relationship. The abruptness with which these men left their familiar lives and all of the relationship and obligations associated with them is a final indication of the radical nature of life in the kingdom of God. This is truly a new way of living in the world.
On account of the exigencies of kairos when Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he indicated other ways of living that are different from the normal. The normal priority of life, priorities necessary for personal survival and the continuation of race give way to very different behaviour. Indeed fasting is called for rather than eating, continence rather than procreation. It is not that the customary demands of life are to be scorned. Paul because of his perception of the period as kairos during which the Christians of Corinth were to prepare seriously to be ready for the return of Christ, admonished to consider all things in this world as having relative and not absolute value. They are means and not to be seen as ends or scope of this life. They are good things of this life but at the same time precarious and can disappoint and should therefore, not be considered as alternative to eternal and definitive goods.
Coming to the end of our reflection on the readings of this Sunday we are struck with the very significant idea that those who receive the good news are more important than those who bring it. Jonah and the first disciples (fishermen) were simple people whom God used for the spread of the good news. The more important people were the people of Nineveh to whom Jonah ministered, the contemporaries of Christ to whom he addressed the message of the inauguration of the kingdom and the call to repentance, the people of Corinth who listened to Paul’s admonition and certainly us, the present day Christians whom the Mother Church addresses today. There is some similarity in the messages: it is a call for repentance. The grace of God requires new way of perceiving things, new ways of living, a turning to God in faith and commitment. In addition, the good-news proclaimed first by Jesus and then by his disciples announces the advent of the reign of God. Those who hear the message are invited into the age of fulfillment. This salvific reign is a reign of truth, compassion and kindness. It is a way of life that leads to justice that teaches the way of a humble and compassionate God, God who is able to turn his threats into blessings. It is a way of life lived in the holiness of the call itself. Repentance/conversion is necessary because we have not been living in this way.
There is urgency in the readings. The people of Nineveh had only forty days to change their attitude and behaviour. Unless we embrace the gospel now and live it fully, we may run out of time. The world in its present form is passing away, and God’s call demands a total response. Like the disciples, we must leave our nets, the familiarity of our former ways of living, and follow the call we have heard in the depths of our hearts. We may be called from a life we have enjoyed, as the Corinthians were, or may be called like Jonah to a life from which we try to escaped. In either case, God’s call to discipleship is pertinent and unrelenting. As disciples of Christ and ambassadors of God we are called not only to enter the reign of God but also to promote and spread it; to bring with us the good-news of salvation wherever we go and in whatever we do. As demanding as it may be, we should be grateful that God does not give up on us. Therefore, having been called by God, we should now begin to live our lives in a totally different way, guided by the values of the reign of God rather than those of the world that is passing away. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
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