11th January, 2021 MondayI. Heb 1:1-6
II. Mk 1:14-20
Theme: Call to Proclaim the Gospel.
As we begin Ordinary Time and Jesus public ministry, the readings remind us of Jesus’ role. He is the only begotten Son of God who has come to be God’s living message. The Letter to the Hebrews points to the fact that Jesus is the clearest messenger of God’s revelation. In the Gospel, Jesus begins His mission by announcing the coming of the Reign of God and calling His first disciples. Jesus proclaims the fullness of time, the presence of the Reign of God, and thus the need for repentance and turning away from sin and re-orienting oneself toward God. The first action of Jesus’ ministry is the calling of four fishers. Jesus begins to assemble those who will continue His mission after He returns to heaven. These four fishing professionals leave behind their nets in order to eventually cast nets in the human waters and bring in the catch for God.
Jesus chose ordinary, human individuals to be a part of the furthering of the Reign of God. Jesus did not select people from the priestly or upper classes of His time, but ordinary workers: fishers, tax collectors, and others. Jesus made His ministry not depend on the caliber or status of the messengers but upon the Good News itself. This has continued to our day. Jesus is still calling people to share in His work. We are called to proclaim the compassion, forgiveness, and love of God by the way we treat the people who cross our paths each and every day. We become the present-day messengers of God’s Good News. Because we have been gifted with faith, we must spread it to others. We are called to be fishers of humans and bring the others in to the nets of God.
Bro Santhosh Prabhu SMM
III BTh