5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 In today's gospel Jesus is not content to stay in his home area. He says: "Let us go to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do" (Mk 1: 38) There is an urgency to his ministry as he looks to communicate with as many in Israel as possible. Born before all time, as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, he is now restricted by his incarnated nature to personally preach the message to the towns of Israel. St Paul, too, feels the need to proclaim the gospel not just in Israel but to the ends of the earth. He sees it as an obligation imposed on him by the risen Lord whom he had previously been persecuting: "... woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!" (1 Cor 9: 17) In another letter he explains it this way: "For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them."(2 Cor 5: 14-15) Likewise, our call to missionary discipleship is impelled by the love of Christ and our encounter with him as the power and wisdom of God. Let us pray to the Holy Spirit asking for opportunities to share the joy of the gospel and reveal God's love for all people.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The people respond to the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, thought to be son of a carpenter: "What is this? A new teaching - with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." (Mk 1: 27) The word that Jesus spoke then is our Gospel today and we acknowledged it last week on Word of God Sunday. Jesus is the prophet foretold in the First Reading: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among your own people." (Deut 18: 18) His words and actions speak directly of the will of his heavenly Father so he has no need of other verification or authority. Let us listen to the Lord and deepen our insight into his divine teachings so that his Word and life may be powerful in us. We are all called to serve the Lord as missionary disciples in the way that he has provided for each of us. As St Paul exhorts: "Brother and sisters, let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God has called you." (1 Cor 7: 17) We also need to pray for more vocations to the priesthood so that the Word of God may be more widely proclaimed and the sacraments given.

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 There is a clear contrast between this week's Gospel from Mark and that last week from John. Last week the emphasis was on the ministry of John the Baptist, who points out the Messiah, and the interaction between the disciples who respond to Jesus. Mark simply states: "After John was arrested...". (Mk 1: 14) Mark speaks of the urgency of Jesus mission and the speed with which the disciples respond to his call and leave their former lives behind to follow the Lord: "... immediately they left their nets and followed him" (Mk 1: 18) and "... Immediately he called them." (Mk 1: 20) This response can be compared to Jonah who is mentioned in the First Reading. Jonah sought to escape his call and ended up being swallowed by a fish before complying with God's call. Andrew, Peter, James and John hear the call and follow straight away. We can ask ourselves, as we confront the challenges and opportunities of 2024, how are we responding to our baptismal call to be missionary disciples who spread the joy of the Gospel? 

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The First Reading and Gospel for today have a strong emphasis on discernment and call in the spiritual life. We are not capable of identifying and executing for ourselves God's plan for us alone. We see this in the failed initial attempts by Moses and St Paul to please God which end in violence and failure. Rather an ongoing dialogue of prayer and discernment is necessary not just in the beginning of our vocational journey but throughout the whole of our lives. This is not always easy. We see this with the temptations of the Lord not just in the desert prior to his ministry but also when he is challenged by St Peter and in the Garden of Gethsemane. There are many distractions which can derail our missionary discipleship and this is where our Second reading comes into play. Sexual temptation and sin can deafen us to God's voice. There are many other sins as well such as greed, gluttony, self-righteousness, pride, etc. All of these impede our ability to hear God's voice and weaken our ability to respond appropriately. Let us always strive to follow God's call and avail ourselves of his healing mercy when we fail, so as to get up and move forward again. 

Feast of Baptism of the Lord

 I think that this feast has the potential to be the most understood of the liturgical celebrations in the liturgical calendar. It is about the Incarnation not about the sacrament of baptism! Jesus identifies with the people whom he has come to save. Like Moses he will lead his people on an exodus - not from Egypt to the Promised Land but from death to the resurrection. It is important that we note that the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus after the baptism. The baptism in water identifies Jesus with his people. He is Jewish and is immersed in the life and history of the Chosen People of which he is a part. To be human is to be immersed in the sitz im leben, life situation, of one's people and family. In the resurrection Jesus transcends human categories. As Saint Paul writes: "From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way." (2 Cor 5: 16) Thus, Christian baptism is in a different category from that of the baptism of St John the Baptist. Nevertheless, in Christ, we can still hear the words: "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." (Mk 1: 11)