THE WORD
1Sm 1,1-8 / Mk 1,14-20
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” As he passed by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fisherman. Jesus said to them, “come after me and I will make you fihers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they let their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.
IN OTHER WORDS
A man with a mission has no time to dilly-dally. Filled with passion for his task he needs “to hit the ground running.” The time for action is now.
The above describes Jesus as He begins His mission. He wastes no time in “proclaiming the gospel of God: ‘This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” What Jesus proclaimed then, He does now to us, in our time. Do we listen attentively to God’s word so that it leads to action? Do we welcome the reign and rule of God in our lives, shown in our sincere repentance and belief in the gospel?
Jesus could have accomplished His mission all by Himself. But in His divine wisdom He chose to call human beings to share in His mission of spreading His good news about the kingdom of God. Jesus wanted that humans would have a role in the salvation of humankind. We are to help one another, bringing the other and many more to join in God’s mission.
So just as Jesus chose His followers then, so He does so now: He calls each one of us to be “ fishers of men” in our own situations, bringing others to Him until the kingdom is filled “with a great catch.”
Following Jesus is not done on easy chairs; no, we have to be on our feet just like Jesus, proclaiming the gospel wherever we are, to whomever we meet, at home or outside. May the Lord in flame our hearts and minds with His own passion, so we hit the ground running, for Him and the kingdom!
- Fr. Lino Evora Nicasio, SVD | National Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
