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23 Mar 2024

PALM SUNDAY

During Lent we have been preparing for the celebration of Easter by works of love and self-sacrifice. Today, in union with the whole Church throughout the world we remember Christ’s entry into Jerusalem to complete his saving work as our Messiah to suffer, to die and to rise again. We, enter Holy Week that is called the Great Week in the orthodox tradition. The entrance into Jerusalem is one of the very few events in Jesus’ life which is mentioned in all four gospels.  It is the only time that Jesus accepts and encourages public acclaim as Messiah.  He even goes as far as organising his entrance by telling the disciples to go and fetch the donkey.  The key moment in God’s great plan of salvation is about to begin and Jesus knows exactly how it will unfold. The events of Palm Sunday were foretold thousands of years ago. The first reading from Isaiah, one of the four Suffering Servant oracles written at the time of the Babylonian captivity, speaks of a courageous and obedient messiah-figure, who says,  “I have set my face like flint” against the beatings and scourging that lie ahead, “knowing that I shall not be put to shame.”

The second reading from Philippians reminds us of Jesus’ total emptying out of His divinity in order that He might identify Himself with the lowest criminal being led to His execution, “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” We move towards the heavenly Jerusalem only because Christ himself has already made that journey to the Cross for us and now he offers to make it with us as we bear the crosses that come to us.   The full drama of the Gospel  begins with the crowd’s fickle acclamation of Jesus as King at the beginning of the reading.  It is a foreshadowing of the blasphemous mockery the soldiers will hurl at our thorn-crowned Savior a few days later on Good Friday. And yet, we raise our voices joyfully with the crowd, linking the honor given Him, especially by the children. We wonder and rejoice as the veil is raised to permit a glimpse of Jesus, as the Messiah-King and liberator `who is the suffering servant of god.  The Church is a master of drama in the liturgies of this week. Through the use of readers for the Passion and the voices of the congregation, we all become part of the action. On Palm Sunday we feel embarrassed to cry out “Crucify Him” with the palm branches still in our hands. It reminds us of our own fickle response and our lack of courage in responding to His love and truth. Yet we know that it was our sins that brought Jesus to Calvary. 

Holy Week is a time for us to realize what we’re really like, and to find that the only remedy for our sin is the fathers love for us. Are we ready to join our own pains and fears to the Master’s? Are we ready to add as much love as we can possibly muster to His boundless love? As we recall the Passion story on Palm Sunday and then again on Good Friday we are called to respond and to imitate his life. As God’s family, we are called to be the Church, the Body of Christ in this world.  We are asked to look out for one another. It’s not just about “me myself.”  It’s about “all of us together.”  Christ came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many as a result of this  he points us in the right direction. It is important that we who say we are Christians accept the truth about ourselves that truth  may not always be good and then in our acceptance of the truth we will be able to look at the Cross and recognise the love of God our Father made real through Jesus. As we reflect upon the story of Jesus coming to Jerusalem  we recommit ourselves to Christ and his message of salvation. Over the next few days let us enter fully into Holy Thursday, Good Friday and  Holy Saturday and then we will really be able to enjoy the Easter feast when it comes on Sunday with renewed hearts. So let us go forth in peace to meet the Lord this Palm Sunday and Holy Week.

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16 Mar 2024

5th Sunday of Lent /St Patricks Day

This Sunday here in Ireland we are celebrating the feast of our national patron Saint Patrick. The readings are for the 5th Sunday of Lent, but the Mass prayers are for the feast. This weekend with all the Irish all over the world we celebrate the feast of Saint Patrick who was credited with bringing the faith to the Irish. I often wonder what St. Patrick who drove the snakes out of Ireland would do about the modern snakes that we have in Ireland today. I imagine he would look at what was going on around him and roll up his sleeves and get on with the job of proclaiming the Gospel. Today we wish all those who might read this who are from Ireland or claim Irish ancestors a very happy St. Patricks Day. 

We are now at the fifth Sunday of Lent; and soon we will be celebrating Palm Sunday and Holy Week. The readings for the 5th Sunday of Lent focus on God’s covenant with us, even though we are often unfaithful God is faithful to us . The first reading speaks of a new covenant. God promises a new covenant with Israel and Judah, different from the old. He will write His laws in their hearts, he will be their God, and they, will be His people. All will know Him and be forgiven.What a resounding response to this first reading is the verses of psalm 51. It is a song of hope, a firm purpose of amendment, and a petition for inserting the Law of Love in our hearts despite the resistance of the way of the world. “Create a clean heart in me, O God!” If we include in the equation the short quote from the Letter to the Hebrews, we’ll have beautiful preparation for the monologue of Jesus predicting his suffering and death and resurrection. “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” The Latin for obey carries the meaning of listening, active listening by way of the heart. The second reading speaks of the obedience of Jesus Christ that brought about our salvation. Jesus, during His time on earth, prayed earnestly to the Father, and the father heard him. Through suffering, He learned obedience, becoming the source of eternal salvation for all His followers including all of us. In the Gospel for this weekend Jesus foretells his death and explains that those who follow him will find eternal life. Some Greeks ask to see Jesus.  Jesus responds by saying that anyone who loves his life will lose it; to gain your life, you must be like a grain of wheat which brings forth much fruit only by falling into the earth and dying.  The seed which must die to produce a harvest is a powerful image of Jesus death. The Greeks must have been baffled.

They were baffled in much the same way that we are when we listen to the stories scripture about Jesus and all the things that he had done. The gospel goes on to tell us that a voice is heard from the cloud, and it speaks of the ‘glory’ that will come to Jesus for giving up his life. It is through his death and resurrection that he draws all people to himself, both Jew and Greek. Many Learned men and women have tried to put their interpretation on the Scriptures but if we listen with open hearts and minds, we will hear what the word of God is saying to us and what it means for our lives and the way we live them.  As we come to the last few days of Lent let us prepare with great intensity for Palm Sunday and the Easter Triduum and then we will really be able to enjoy the Easter feast on Easter Sunday and don’t forget the Easter celebration lasts until Pentecost Sunday!!! 

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10 Mar 2024

4th Sunday of Lent

There are two Sundays in the year when we  see the priest wearing rose or pink vestments, Gaudete Sunday in Advent and Laetare Sunday in Lent .This weekend we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Lent also known as “Laetare Sunday” and this mirrors Gaudete Sunday in Advent. This Sunday marks a change in our  Lenten focus. We are no longer so absorbed by our own limitations and weaknesses in faith. We should be  more confident of God’s kindness, forgiveness and healing without which we would never dare embark on our Lenten  journey. This weekend we look forward to the Easter celebrations with joy and hope.The cause for our rejoicing is that we are getting close to Holy Week and the events that have brought us salvation at Easter. In our First Reading  Judah’s betrayal of faith led to their exile as their enemies destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. God’s warnings were ignored, resulting in the Babylonian captivity. Fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy, the exile lasted until Cyrus of Persia decreed the rebuilding of the temple, marking the beginning of the return from their time  exile.  The Psalm reminds me of a song when I was growing up called by the rivers of Babylon.It was based on todays psalm and sung by a band called Boney M in the 1980s. In Babylon’s captivity, the people wept for Zion, unable to sing their sacred songs in a foreign land.

In the Second Reading God, in His mercy, made us alive with Christ, saving us by grace through faith. We are created for good works, predestined by God as he has brought us to new life in Christ.  In the reading from Johns Gospel   Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus and references Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness as a foreshadowing of his own crucifixion and the salvation that it would bring. Jesus emphasizes the importance of believing in him as the Son of God in order to receive eternal life, and highlights the judgment that will come to those who do not believe.  John tells us that a person is condemned because that  individual has not believed in the Son of God.” God the Father has no desire to condemn, but people condemn themselves by putting God and the ideals of faith out of their lives. Over many centuries so many people have said there is no  god or where is your God.  And many people out there in our world  have turned out the light of faith in their lives permanently. 

I know people of all ages who have been brought up in the Catholic Faith and then have left it all behind and yet anyone who is  actively engaged with faith will know that there is a  god and he is there among us in the people who are in our daily lives and he is a god that cares for us with a fathers love. At the end of the Gospel we are told that Jesus the Light came into the world, but the people preferred darkness to light. Jesus was sent by God to be the light in the darkness of our daily lives. At the Easter Vigil we proclaim the risen Lord as Lumen Christi that is Christ our Light and we celebrate with joy.  Today we are invited to celebrate this Sunday with joy as we look forward to the celebration of Holy Week and the great mysteries of our salvation as we prepare for the feast of Easter.  

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02 Mar 2024

3rd Sunday of Lent

Last Saturday I spent the day at Holy Cross Benedictine monastery in Rostrevor with other members of the Order of Malta. The monastery is up the Kilbroney Valley in County Down, a lovely place on a cold but sunny day that Saturday was.  As I was waiting on my friend to bring me back home I sat on a bench and behind me was a running stream it reminded me of the lines from the Psalms, near restful waters he leads me to revive my drooping spirit. This is what Lent is really about. It is a call to take the time to come apart in some way  and leave  the day to day lives we lead behind for a time and let the lord revive our spirit so that we can enter more fully into the life of faith that we are called to at Easter as well as every other day in the year.

 In the First Reading  from Exodus God gives  the Ten Commandments to Moses and they tell us to  worship god, avoid idolatry, respect His name, observe the Sabbath, honour parents, and refrain from murder, adultery, theft, lying, and coveting other peoples goods. These commandments are the basis of living the life  that God wants for us as people of faith. The Response to Psalm is you have the message of eternal life O lord.Your laws Lord energize and awaken us, and your principles and commands guide us in truth, showing us that you are the way the truth and the life. Your eternal statutes bring justice and enrich our lives. In the Second Reading  from the 1st letter to the Corinthians the Jews demanded miracles and the Greeks were looking for wisdom. They were told What we proclaim is Christ crucified and that  was  a stumbling block to Jews and seemed to be complete  foolishness to Gentiles who did not understand it. Yet, for all those who respond to the call of faith Jesus embodies God’s power and wisdom, and that surpasses our own understanding and strength. This Sunday’s gospel reading  puts Jesus’ knowledge of our human nature so clearly: He really knew what was going on in the hearts and minds of those around him. He knew what they thought. He saw what they did to the Temple. The Temple was supposed to be a place were you would celebrate the spiritual presence of God in the world. As we hear in the reading  the people changed the Temple into a marketplace when it should have been a quiet place of spiritual encounter.  Jesus knew that people would see the signs that he worked, the miracles he performed, but would refuse to see and hear the messages behind the signs and the miracles that were there if front of them.

Instead they would see him as a wonder worker, a superman, a good show and Jesus wasn’t about any of that. The portrait of Jesus in today’s Gospel is a world away from the storybook caricature of Jesus, the meek and mild figure he lost his temper as he drove the money lenders out of the temple after seeing what they were doing there.  Our faith is not about a good show instead it is about our relationship with God and with one another. Jesus shows us  what real love is as he went on to die on the cross for us on Good Friday.  Our dying to ourselves during Lent is an identification with the power of Christ crucified. Our calling, then, is to be strong in faith as we look forward to Easter. God gives us signs both people and places as anchors of faith. But, we must trust the Lord enough to cut ourselves free from our anchors and allow him to guide us through the rough currents of life. Are we prepared to do this during our Lenten journey to Easter and beyond as we live our daily lives as people of faith?

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24 Feb 2024

2nd Sunday of Lent

In the first Reading this Sunday God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son. At the moment of sacrifice, an angel stopped him, providing a ram instead. Abraham’s obedience led to God’s promise of countless descendants and blessings for all nations. The responsorial Psalm tells us that Despite despair, we recognize that the Lord values His faithful. Freed from our  burdens, we offer thanks and fulfil our  vows publicly, choosing to dwell in God’s presence. The second reading tells us that If God is for us, no one can oppose us. He gave His Son for us and will freely give us all things. God declares us righteous, and Christ intercedes for us, ensuring no condemnation. In the Gospel reading we hear about the transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus, accompanied by Peter, James, and John, underwent a miraculous transformation on a secluded mountain, where his appearance became dazzlingly white. There, Elijah and Moses appeared and conversed with Him.

Overcome by the moment, Peter suggested building shelters for them and we hear the voice of the father identifying  Jesus as “my beloved Son.”  the God who speaks to the disciples on the mountain directs all of us  to Jesus and tells  us, “Listen to him”. Our journey during lent is a journey of listening to scripture as the  readings tell the story of faith.  Mountains were  always seen places of retreat and encounter with the divine. Moses and Elijah are no strangers to mountain encounters with God. They met God on the mountain, but struggled to make God’s plan a reality back down among the people. Moses, the lawgiver and Elijah, the prophet, symbolized the rich religious tradition of the Jewish people. It is Through them, that tradition is in dialogue with Jesus. The voice from the cloud identifies Jesus as “my beloved Son.” Jesus invites all of us to make a journey throughout our lives. Our faith should be an exciting journey from birth right until we get to the pearly gates when we die. During Lent Repent, and believe the Good News is our call to take up the spiritual journey as we explore the great depths of God’s love for us as we climb the mountain of the Lord.

We, like the disciples, periodically need to go to a quiet place, our own private “mountain top.” There we find some quiet time to listen to Jesus through his Word. We could do that by ourselves, by setting aside a few minutes each day to read and meditate on the scriptures. The god who speaks to us through the scriptures directs all of us to Jesus that same voice of God  who spoke to the apostles on the mountain also  instructs us  to “listen to him” may we listen to  what he is saying  to us in the quietness and not be afraid to do what he asks of us this Lent. Then we will be more able to enter fully into the great events of Holy week and Easter when they come around in a few short weeks refreshed and renewed by our Lenten journey.

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17 Feb 2024

1St Sunday of Lent 2024

After the ashes of Ash Wednesday comes the hard work and commitment of the next 6 weeks. Our gospel story for this weekend tells us about Jesus going out into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness.  God asks us to undertake this time of renewal and that is why we have the penitential season of Lent. Why do we have Lent every year? Why penance? Why fasting? Why almsgiving? What does that have to do with us? If we take our faith seriously then Lent, penance, fasting and almsgiving have a great deal to do with all of us. The readings for the 1st Sunday of talk about  God who is faithful even when we wander away far from him. The first reading is about God establishing a covenant with Noah, his descendants, and every living creature, promising no future floods will destroy all life. The bow, set in the clouds, symbolizes this perpetual covenant, a reminder to God and humanity of this promise.   The psalm reminds us to be faithful as we ask the Lord to teach us  his ways, trusting in his salvation. We remember His mercy and love, as He shows the paths of righteousness to those who follow His ways.

The second reading connects the story of Noah to the sacrament of Baptism. It emphasizes Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection as the ultimate act of reconciliation between humanity and God. Baptism is presented not merely as a ritual cleansing but as a profound commitment to live in accordance with God’s will, empowered by Christ’s victory over death.  In our Gospel this weekend  Jesus asks for such significant changes from those who have heard him preach. After he was baptized by John, he spent time in the desert and underwent temptations. He was tested and accompanied by the Spirit came out strong and determined. Jesus announces the coming of the reign of God and he invites others who hear him to commit their lives fully to God and God’s ways. He preaches  “Repentance” which requires change of mind and heart. He doesn’t want some superficial or cosmetic change.  He isn’t asking for a few minutes, hours, weeks, or months of our time which, when completed, we can return to our previous ways of living. Perhaps we have given up wine or desserts for Lent.

Then we hope to hang on till Easter when we can pop the cork and slice the Easter cake. No, repentance isn’t just for a part of the year. It is a full-time, on-going commitment to change and be changed by God. We are called to turn away from whatever distracts us from God and to return to the embrace of the One who is infinite love. Such total change can easily be left for a more “convenient time.” We say we will start a more serious pursuit of God later on  after we finish school, when we have a family, after retirement, “When I’ll have more time to give to prayer and good works.” But Jesus is speaking in the in the here and now of the present moment, he is  not speaking about something that will happen in the future. ” Lent is a grace filled time when we will receive the help we need to turn our lives towards God. We are invited to reflect  on God’s faithfulness, the significance of baptism, the importance of repentance and conversion. So now as we begin Lent we are invited to recommit ourselves to God. Let us ask ourselves whether we are open to be really changed as gods people so we will be able to enter more fully into the great ceremonies of Holy Week and Easter.

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10 Feb 2024

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday we celebrate the 6th Sunday of ordinary time which is also the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes. We remember in a special way all those who are sick and infirm for whatever reason and we pray for their healing. Then on Wednesday we begin the Holy Season of Lent with the ashes and we hear once again the call to repent and believe the good news as we begin Lent for 2024. It is a time when we reflect on our spiritual lives and how we can renew themIn the first reading the Lord told Moses and Aaron what to do about potential leprosy, this  required priestly examination and, if confirmed, the person concerned was declared unclean. Afflicted individuals had to signify their condition by their appearance, vocalize their unclean status, and live in isolation, highlighting the seriousness with which leprosy was treated. The treatment of lepers, as spelled out in the Book of Leviticus today, seems harsh. But let’s not demonize the Israelites. With little understanding of the cause of leprosy, but noticing its awful consequences on the bodies of its victims, the community was frightened of contagion. To keep themselves and their families safe they isolated the sufferers.

In the Second Reading  from Corinthians St. Paul tells us  that In everything, even in eating and drinking, we should aim to honour God. He tells us to avoid causing offense by what you do and say and seek the good of many for salvation. Today we too are called to follow the  example of St. Paul as he followed Christ’s own example so should we. In the Gospel for this weekend  the  leper’s plea for healing was met with Jesus’ compassionate touch and affirmation, leading to immediate cleansing. Despite Jesus’ directive for discretion and adherence to Mosaic law for verification, the healed man publicized his miracle, complicating Jesus’ public ministry. Our Gospel story is about much more than just the healing, it is about the faith that the leper had in Jesus. It is also about the faith we have in Jesus.  After he heals him Jesus tells the man to be silent. The man is to go first to the priests and go through the ritual cleansing prescribed in Leviticus (14:1ff.)  Maybe the priests would ask the man how he was cured and then they would hear about Jesus. Who better to give witness to Jesus than someone whose life has been changed by him? Who better to witness to the strength, joy, encouragement, hope and direction that Jesus gives than one who has been transformed by him? Do we allow ourselves to be transformed by the compassion and words of Jesus in order to show his compassion to others?

The man who Jesus cured proclaimed and spread the word and he brought others to faith even though he was told not to tell anyone. Word of Jesus power preceded him and the people brought all those who needed healing to him. In  fact so many people came from every place in Galilee that Jesus could not travel in the open for fear of the crowd. Aware of our need for healing, we, too, can take the initiative by approaching Jesus. We will be met with compassion and love. We can be restored to our rightful place as beloved sons and daughters. We, too, can tell the story of what God has done for us in our lives. May we share the healed man’s enthusiasm to make known the goodness and the love of God. Next Wednesday with the Ashes  and the call to be faithful to the Gospel we begin the season of lent with all the opportunities it provides for renewal of our spiritual lives.  Let us pray for a spirit of understanding and renewal as we journey through Lent to the celebration of Holy Week and Easter so that we can say with the psalmist Lord you are my refuge and you turned my distress into the joy of salvation.

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03 Feb 2024

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

The readings for this Sunday ask us to reflect on Jesus’ power to heal us, both physically and spiritually. In the first reading, Job laments that he is experiencing so much misery and despair that he find’s that is just too hard to keep going. But then in the  psalm we are reminded  to “Praise the Lord, who heals the broken hearted” as he gives us the strength to go on. Paul’s reflections in the second reading on his role as an apostle underscores the theme of selfless service and sacrifice. His commitment to preaching the Gospel without seeking personal gain highlights the Christian call to serve others whenever they need our help and not to look for anything in return. In the   Gospel reading Jesus comes to Peter’s house, he finds that Peter’s mother-in-law is sick, and he heals her. The whole town hears of her healing and rushes all their sick to Peter’s house. The house is surrounded, and so is Jesus. Now, all of a sudden, Jesus seems to have become a one-man hospital the man who heals all their ills. He is so besieged that he can’t even pray in the house. He has to head out into the countryside secretly in the dark of morning. When his absence is detected, his disciples go looking for him. when they find him, they tell him “Everybody is looking for you!”

When the people of Capernaum saw Christ they saw man of power amongst them; when we see Jesus with the eyes of faith we realise  that he  is the Son of God our saviour who came on earth in order to make us the family  of God. We know who Jesus really is and we know the full meaning of his mission. We see that mission completed by his death on the cross and his resurrection. By his death he conquered death by his resurrection he opened the gates of heaven for us and he shows all of us his followers the road we must take to get to those gates. The road we have to take is not easy and many people have chosen other roads that lead in other directions . But we  believe that there are people  like us  out there looking for Jesus and they are finding and following him and as a result of their witness we follow Jesus as well. Jesus is alive in our midst through the lives of faith we have together. He is our way, our truth and  our life. Turn our backs on him, and our spirits, minds and hearts, might just shrivel up and die for lack of spiritual nourishment. We have come to know that the things of God are built on solid foundations of the rock of faith instead of the things of the world that are built on sand and have no lasting value.  The interaction between Jesus and those he heals, as well as the actions of the disciples, highlight the theme of community as we make our Christian journey.

It shows how faith is lived and experienced within the community, and how the community of believers plays a role in supporting, nurturing, and participating in the mission of the Church  as it brings the faith to others. We are challenged to look beyond the surface, to see the deeper spiritual significance of Jesus’ life and actions, and to embrace our particular role in continuing his mission in the world today. As we reflect on our mission within the church we are invited to deepen our relationship with God and to recommit ourselves to bring his message to the people wherever we are in this troubled world.

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27 Jan 2024

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Over the past few days we have been celebrating Catholic Schools week. We  have taken the time to think about the good that has come from our schools. We have also taken time to thank god for our school teachers and our parents who in our homes are our first teachers. But as we thank God for our schools and our teachers we remember that  learning is a lifelong experience of so many things. THE readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary invite us to recognize Jesus and grant him authority in our lives. Moses was the prophet for his time and for the needs of his people. In the first reading, Moses foretells the coming of a mighty prophet. Who are the Moses-like prophets for this time for us and our needs? Who do we trust and follow? Whose words and examples direct our minds to Jesus the word of God the authority of the Father? The second reading from Corinthians discusses the states of married and unmarried life, highlighting how the unmarried can focus more directly on pleasing the Lord. This theme of undistracted devotion is relevant to understanding different vocations and the ways they can lead to holiness.

In this Sundays  Gospel we hear about the authority of the Lord to cast out demons and devils. The gospel  reading is taken from Marks gospel . As Jesus begins to teach in Capernaum. The people are spellbound because he spoke with authority, not like the scribes. A man comes to Jesus who is in the hand of an evil power and Jesus makes the devil come out of the man. The bystanders are amazed because Jesus has such authority.  What do we mean when we speak about the authority of the Lord? What do we mean when we talk about authority in general? What ways do we exercise authority in relation to those around us? What ways do we exercise the authority of the Lord as Christians?  The word authority comes from the Latin word auctoritas.  The basic meaning of this Latin word is creator, the word author also comes from this word. In general, authority is intimately connected with its source that source is the person who gives another the authority to do something so the authority that Jesus has comes from his Father.  God’s love for everyone is declared to us in the scriptures. God speaks with us there.  The message is clear: If we are God’s we are to care about and for each other and that includes the refugees, the abused, the poor, the ill, and the mentally challenged.

It means Everyone everywhere! Jesus, entire public life was about compassion and mercy. He despised arrogance, fought hypocrisy, and he believed the heart was stronger than the law. He brought God’s mercy and compassion to the earth and in the process brought us forgiveness from our self-interest, our scapegoating, our manipulation of frayed emotions, and our insecurity in the face of diversity of language, race, nationality origin, or whatever We are truly prophets when we stand for the truth, for the marginalized, for the alien, for the victim of war, for the victims of capitalism that serves only the capitalist. We are surrounded by many voices claiming authority – in media, in politics, in our communities. How do we recognize the true prophetic voice? The key is do those voices follow the teachings of Christ and the Church. The challenge for all of us is to discern and hear the voice of God, to speak and live our faith authentically, and to orientate our lives towards our faith so that other people may believe what Christ teaches and take up his request to follow as we are following  him.

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20 Jan 2024

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Every time we pick up a newspaper, or turn on the radio or TV these days  we are confronted with bad news, much of it of a very distressing nature. It leaves us numb and helpless when many parts of the world are waring with each other as we realise that we cannot do a lot about what is going on we continue to pray for peace in our world. This weekend the readings talk about good news. The prophet, Jonah, in the first reading took a little time to answer God’s call in fact he only did so the second time around. The first time, Jonah packed his bags and ran away to sea in order to escape God’s wishes. However, God did not give up. Jonah was given a second chance and when he accepted the call, he preached with such faith that the people of Nineveh repented. Mark’s gospel times Jesus’ proclamation of the gospel with John the Baptist’s imprisonment by Herod. It was like passing a baton to the next runner in a race. John’s work was completed: he had prepared the people for the Christ.

His preparation accelerated the expectations that the Messiah was coming soon. Repentance was needed to prepare minds and hearts to receive the Messiah. Even so, repentance was thought to be something of the mind, of the will. Just clearing the landscape of the trash of sin did not completely prepare a person to receive and follow Jesus.  It is interesting to note how Jesus begins his ministry by announcing good news that “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news”. What is this good news? Essentially it is that we can come back to the father’s house like the prodigal Son, where a welcome instead of  judgement awaits us: The Good Shepherd has arrived. His stated aim is ‘”to seek out and to save the sheep that· are lost”  In the Gospel Jesus went to Galilee, preaching God’s imminent kingdom and urging repentance and belief in His message. By the Sea of Galilee, He called Simon and Andrew, fishermen, to follow Him and become ‘fishers of men.’ They promptly did. Next, Jesus summoned James and John, who also instantly left their father and work to follow Him.

This  illustrates the compelling nature of Jesus’ call. That meant they were to get up and leave family and friends to go out into the world to proclaim the good news of salvation.  We too are called to follow Jesus right where we are today. We are called to repent and to encourage others to do the same.  Like Jonah and Peter, we have to make many decisions. sometimes these affect the whole direction of our lives and the lives of others.   Whether we are like Jonah or like Peter in our in the way we make our decisions it is important for all Christians to realise that God is always there. He is waiting for us to accept his challenge to change our lives. As Jonah demonstrates, the story isn’t over yet. That all-important decision to answer the call of Jesus to follow Jesus may be made  right now today or even tomorrow. For every day is a new beginning, every day is brimming over with opportunities to start afresh.  So let us join Jesus in his mission so that others may believe the good news of salvation and hear the call follow me.

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