Word to the Wise
Monday, January 11, 2021 - Monday in the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 1:1-6 and Mark 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 fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." [Mark]
The Gospel According to Mark, compared to the other three gospels, is abrupt and "in your face." There's no time to drag your feet. Immediate action is demanded. Simon, Andrew, James and John were all in the daily process of making a living as fishermen. On hearing Jesus, they get up and follow him. One can imagine the father of James and John shouting, "Hey, where do you think you're going? I can't fix these nets by myself. The hired hands would make a mess of it!!"
This gospel scripture appears early in Lent in Sunday Cycle B. I was preaching a parish mission in Kentucky on that Sunday. I asked the congregation to repeat after me: THIS IS THE TIME OF FULFILLMENT! (repeat), THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND! (repeat), REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL! (repeat). Then I congratulated them on preaching their first homily!!! This is the fundamental message that Jesus came to preach. It is the theme and attitude of the Gospel According to Mark. There must have been a combination of message and personality that pulled those four first disciples away from their boats and nets. As the great communication guru, Marshall McLuhan, once wrote, "The medium is the message!"
Can we imagine ourselves as the "medium" through which Jesus' message is communicated? Is there any urgency about it for us? Is our reply, "Sounds like a plan. Let me check my calendar?" Is there anything about you and me that says, "The Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent and believe in the gospel!?" Despite the attraction of Jesus, the Gospel According to Mark makes it clear that the disciples had a hard time getting below the surface of the words to the real identity of Jesus as the "Beloved Son" of God! It is not until the crucifixion that they wake up to what has been going on since they left their boats and nets. They understood the "message: but not the "medium." After 2000 years, are we any different? Our baptism makes us part of the medium. Is the message getting through? AMEN