3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – (Cycle A, Year II)

Community Word: Jesus is the revelation of God’s Truth and Light to the world.

Theme:We reveal Jesus to the world when we joyfully respond to His call.

Promise: “…I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Ps 27:13)

Reflection:
Jesus’ call to the first disciples, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt.4:19) marks the beginning of His apostolate, ensuring that His mission of bringing light to all nations will continue in all places and for all generations. The invitation of Jesus drew a quick response from the four fishermen when they immediately abandoned their boats and family and became His followers. As our church leaders are calling the Catholic lay faithful to a deeper awareness of our role in the life and mission of the church, how should we respond? Like the first disciples, are we willing to give up our attachments and be a part of such mission?

Despite our busyness, we should recognize God’s voice when He calls. Being baptized Catholics, we are called to continue Jesus’ mission on earth and be sensitive to the challenge in responding to a greater mission. We cannot excuse ourselves by saying that our knowledge is insufficient and that we are not prepared to accept the magnitude of such responsibility to awaken a sleeping soul. We should be like the first disciples who obediently responded to Jesus’ invitation. They followed Jesus despite their insignificance and probably were the least qualified to be workers for the Kingdom. And we all know what became of them later.

Many of us in community struggle from time to time in following Jesus and really knowing who He truly is. To follow Him, like the fishermen, we have to leave behind our comforts and what we love most in life. We need to abandon our weaknesses, pride, arrogance, jealousy, hatred, anger, division and so on. To move on as Christ’s evangelizers, we need to endure as we struggle with our own personal transformation and the changes in our attitude as we accept this role and mandate of the Lord.

Jesus’ choice of ordinary people to share in His gigantic mission of “making disciples of all nations” is God’s way of showing that it is in their powerlessness where God’s power can be evidently recognized. “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.” (1Cor 1:27-29)

When God passes by, He may chance upon you and me with an invitation to help Him build His Kingdom. He does not impose nor pressure us, but gives us the freedom to respond. He respects our choice and free-will. Though we might fear and be anxious about our insignificance and lack of knowledge and wisdom, let us listen to Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians: “Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning” (1Cor 1:17). We should bear in mind that whatever is our choice, it could mean the turning point in our lives.

Fittingly, as true Christian disciples, we face our life’s ultimate challenge – to rise up for Jesus with a life changing slogan: Called to be bold to share in Christ’s mission on earth! We move on with this promise from the Lord: “…I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Ps 27:13)
Prayer:
Father God, give us the strength and fortitude to answer and live your call of discipleship so that we may faithfully serve You as “fishers of men” in accordance to your Divine will. Guide us always to be faithful to the Gospel and to your Son, Jesus. Fill us with Your joy as we reveal Jesus and the Good News of Salvation to all men. Bless us to be worthy witnesses and servants of Your Kingdom to all we meet in our lifetime journey. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reflection Guide Questions:
1. How can I meet the challenge of showing the Light of Christ to others through my thoughts, attitudes and actions?

2. In what ways can I be bold to rise up for Jesus?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
January 26, 2020 (Sun) -Is 8:29-9:3/Ps 27:1, 4, 13, 14/1Cor 1:10-13, 17/Mt 412-23
January 27, 2020 (Mon) -2Sm 5:1-7,10/Ps 89:20,21,22,25-26/Mk 3:22-30
January 28, 2020 (Tue) – 2Sm 6:12-15,17-19/Ps 24:7,8,9,10/Mk 3:31-35
January 29, 2020 (Wed) -2Sm 7:4-17/Ps 89:4-5,27-28,29-30/Mk 4:1-20
January 30, 2020 (Thu)-2Sm 7:18-19,24-29/Ps 132:1-2,3-5,11,12,13-14/Mk 4:21-25
January 31,2020 (Fri) -2Sm 11:1-4,5-10,13-17/Ps 51:3-4,5-6,6-7,10-11/Mk 4:26-34
February 1, 2020 (Sat) – 2Sm 12:1-7,10-17/Ps 51:12-13,14-15,16-17/Mk 4:35-41

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”