20210124 THE WORD OF GOD
24 January, 2021, Sunday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Jonah 3:1-5,10 © |
The people of Nineveh renounce their evil behaviour
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least.
God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 24(25):4-6,7b-9 © |
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
In your love remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Lord, make me know your ways.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 © |
The world as we know it is passing away
Brothers: our time is growing short. Those who have wives should live as though they had none, and those who mourn should live as though they had nothing to mourn for; those who are enjoying life should live as though there were nothing to laugh about; those whose life is buying things should live as though they had nothing of their own; and those who have to deal with the world should not become engrossed in it. I say this because the world as we know it is passing away.
Gospel Acclamation | Mk1:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is close at hand:
repent, and believe the Good News.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 1:14-20 © |
I will make you into fishers of men
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’
As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.
THE WORD OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JONAH 3:1-5,10; 1 COR 7:29-31; MARK 1:14-20 ]
In today’s world, the sophisticated man is very skeptical of anything that could be from God. Having debunked the existence of God, how could he subscribe to the Sacred Scriptures, whether of the Christian Faith or any religion? In his mind the so-called Sacred Scriptures are man-made. They are no better than any philosophical books written by great people. Hence, he reads them as if they were just another book. This is why someone said, “I do not want to be a Christian because I do not agree with certain parts of the Bible.” So he is telling us that unless the Word of God agrees with him, the Bible is wrong. He knows better than the Bible and he has all the answers. He is wiser than God and hence if the bible were to be true, it must measure up to his understanding and opinions. This is why St Augustine remarked, “If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”
Indeed, in the gospel we read how the first disciples responded to the Word of God. In the first place, it must be noted that the evangelist underscored the importance of time with regard to the Good News. He began by noting that Jesus proclaimed the Good News from God by saying, “The time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand.” And then further on we read that when the Lord called His first disciples, “at once” they followed Him. Then further on, after exorcising the man with the unclean spirits, we read that “at once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.” (Mk 1:28) And then “Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once.” (Mk 1:30)
We must therefore enquire why there is a sense of urgency in Mark’s gospel. It has to do with what Jesus said and did. In today’s gospel, Jesus announced the Good News from God. The response to this Good News must of course be immediate because it is the Lord who spoke and God who announced the Good News of salvation. Since “the kingdom of God is close at hand”, the response was urgent as the King was arriving. “Repent, and believe the Good News.” There is no time to wait as “the Kingdom of God is near”, meaning it is already here.
Secondly, with respect to the calling of the disciples and the exorcism of the man with unclean spirits, and similarly with respect to the healing of Peter’s mother in law, Jesus issued a command, not a request. He told Simon and Andrew, “Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.” “Come, follow me” is in the imperative mood. So too, the call, “Repent and believe the Good News!” It will be the same way Jesus commanded the evil spirit, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (Mk 1:25) In other words, we are not dealing with just any messenger of the Good News. We are dealing with someone who takes the place of God and commands immediate and absolute obedience.
The question of what kind of time St Mark was thinking about, goes back to the beginning of his gospel when he wrote about Jesus’ baptism. “And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mk 1:10f) In view of Jesus’ authority as the Son of the Father, vested with divine authority, the command of Jesus overwrites the duties of sons and daughters to their parents. (cf Ex 20:12) This explains why the first four disciples immediately left their nets and their parents to follow Jesus without delay. By so doing, the first four disciples acted out what the Lord commanded earlier, “Repent and believe the Good News.” They believed and gave up their careers and livelihood, turned away from their parents and embraced the Lord totally.
In other words, the kind of faith we are called to render is the obedience of faith. (cf Rom 1:5; 16:26) Our response to the Word of God when proclaimed must be immediate and instant. It must be obeyed without question and without doubt. It is a faith that requires total commitment, not just a passing or emotional faith. Faith must produce good works in the one who believes. A saving faith requires obedience to the Word of God, which is to believe in the gospel. It is this faith in the Good News and in Jesus that will be seen in our obedience to the commandments of God. Jesus said, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” (Jn 14:23f) Vatican II says, “‘The obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26; see 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5-6) is to be given to God who reveals, an obedience by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals, and freely assenting to the truth revealed by Him.” (Dei Verbum, 5)
Hence, our response in faith to the Word of God ultimately is more than the words in the bible but to Jesus Himself who is the Word of God in person. Before the sacred scripture was written, there was just the oral tradition of passing on the teaching of Christ through the apostolic preaching. For this reason, St Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, said, “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers” (1 Th 2:13) The Word of God is only effective when we believe it as such. When we regard the Bible as just another book which we choose to agree or disagree with, the bible would not have much effect in our lives.
In the first reading, we hear that even pagans who believed in the Word were saved. When Jonah was sent to preach to the Ninevites, albeit reluctantly, “the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour. And God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.” Indeed, faith in His word expressed in obedience is what makes the Word of God a saving word. This was why St Paul urged the Corinthians to give priority to the Lord because “the world as we know it is passing away.” Only in the light of the gospel and salvation, can we see our daily life and its struggles in perspective. The Word of God, as the psalmist says, makes known to us the way of God, teaches us His part and guides us in the truth.
The Word of God goes beyond the written word and the proclaimed word, but also the preached word and catechesis. Those responsible for communicating the Word of God must learn to communicate it effectively so that the people would have a coherent explanation of the Word of God and not what the priest thinks or opines. Many of our lectors can read well, but how many of them know what they are reading or have interiorized the Word of God? Proclamation of the Word is more than just reading well and eloquently, but to be convicted by the Word of God and to proclaim from their hearts and not just with their lips only.
Today, it is appropriate that the Church celebrates the Word of God Sunday. This Sunday was instituted by Pope Francis so that Christians may recover their contact with the Word of God and see the “great value that the Word of God has in its daily existence.” It is also unfortunate that most of our Catholics listen to the Word of God exclusively only when they attend Mass on Sundays. If they own any bibles, they are for display on the bookshelf. The Word of God Sunday is intended to help our Catholics to appreciate the importance and relevance of the Word of God in their lives. Pope Francis wrote, “It would be opportune that every community, in a Sunday of the Liturgical Year, be able to renew the commitment for the diffusion, knowledge and further reflection on Sacred Scripture: a Sunday dedicated entirely to the Word of God, to understand the inexhaustible richness, which stems from that constant dialogue of God with His people…” (Aperuit Illis) We must make the Word of God known and loved.
Indeed, the Word of God Sunday is more than just restoring a love for the Word of God; it is necessary for the work of the New Evangelization. Without a deep love and understanding of the Word of God, the scriptures and a personal encounter with the Lord in contemplation and prayer, our testimony to the Lord would be weak and even false at times because we would end up teaching our opinions and our viewpoints and not the Lord’s. Let us pray that through this celebration of the Word of God Sunday, there will be a renewed love for the Word, study and sharing of the Word of God in faith among Christian communities.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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