Jesus Calls Us
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.”Ps. 27
Jesus calls us because he needs us, as he called the Prophets and later the Apostles. He revealed himself in need of us, to save us and to save others. He shows us the path that leads to destruction and the path that leads to Life, of faith, of trusting in Him, following Him in the practice of love and works of mercy. And he calls us to become fishers of men, to make disciples of all.
But in order to become apostles who help others to meet him, to open up to new Life and salvation, we must begin with ourselves, with our own conversion and openness to his call of love, to follow him, to live his Kingdom.
“«Convert, because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand». Walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew, who were casting the net into the sea, for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left the nets and followed him.”
To live his Kingdom is to live the following of Jesus, that is, the Christian life. If we do not live it we cannot help others to live it. It is the essence of why Jesus came to bring us with his Incarnation, Death and Resurrection, and by the gift of the Spirit from him. Without this experience, our religious practices and taste for his ideas would be of no use, since we would continue without following him and without living his Kingdom, and therefore we could not spread it.
Living his Kingdom is living our baptism, guided by his Spirit of Love, which gives us self-control and manifests its other fruits as well, of love, joy, peace, goodness, meekness… it is what the world needs most today and every human being. We must strive to live the conversion that each one requires for this openness to the fullness of his Spirit.
The Spirit is also the protagonist of communion. The Kingdom of God unites us all in Christ, in the same faith. Christ prayed that we be one, but it is not about getting along, living together civilized; other groups can also achieve that, but in sin and offending God. The unity that God asks of us is in the experience of his Kingdom, of his Will, and not in sin.
“”I am of Paul, I am of Apollo, I am of Cephas, I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were they baptized in the name of Paul?””
Not getting carried away so much by our own personal opinion of each other, or natural personal preferences. What unites us is a single head: Christ, a single faith, the same soul that we have received: the Holy Spirit. He should be the one who guides us and not our tastes, whims or preferences.
Those led by the Spirit, are the children of God, and thus we will be a gift from God and a light for others. United in the same Spirit to be leaven that raises the dough, because for this we have been called.
Readings for the Week
Monday: Heb 9:15, 24-28; Ps 98:1-6; Mk 3:22-30
Tuesday: Heb 10:1-10; Ps 40:2, 4ab, 7-8a, 10, 11; Mk 3:31-35
Wednesday: Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22; Ps 117:1bc, 2; Mk 16:15-18
Thursday: 2 Tm 1:1-8 or Ti 1:1-5; Ps 96:1-3, 7-8a, 10; Mk 4:21-35
Friday: Heb 10:32-39; Ps 37:3-6, 23-24, 39-40; Mk 4:26-34
Saturday: Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; Lk 1:69-75; Mk 4:35-41
Sunday: Zep 2:3; 3:12-13; Ps 146:6-10; 1 Cor 1:26 -31; Mt 5:1-12a