20250113 THE TIME OF FULFILLMENT
First reading | Hebrews 1:1-6 |
God has spoken to us through his Son
At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is. He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.
God has never said to any angel: You are my Son, today I have become your father;or: I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Again, when he brings the First-Born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 96(97):1-2,6-7,9 |
All you angels, worship the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
the many coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
All you angels, worship the Lord.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
All you spirits, worship him.
All you angels, worship the Lord.
For you indeed are the Lord
most high above all the earth,
exalted far above all spirits.
All you angels, worship the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ac16:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Or: | 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.
13 January 2025, Monday, 1st Week in Ordinary Time
THE TIME OF FULFILLMENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 1:1-6; PSALM 97:1-2,6-7,9; MK 1:14-20]
In the gospel, Jesus began His ministry by proclaiming these words. “The time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.” What is this time that has come? We are reminded of the words of St Paul when he wrote, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.” When we bring these two texts together, we find the theme of today’s scripture readings. The time of fulfilment is when God sent His Son to reveal to us our true dignity as God’s adopted children, when we are no longer reigned by sin or by the law but by the grace and love of God. Christ is our wisdom, righteousness sanctification and redemption. (cf 1 Cor 1:30f)
This is what the letter of Hebrews seeks to underscore as we read the first chapter. “At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is.” The author wants to emphasize the supremacy and uniqueness of Jesus as the revealer of God. All those who came before Jesus were inadequate and pale in comparison to Him. Indeed, the author sought to give due primacy to Jesus compared to all the prophets in the past. He is superior to the angels (Heb 1:4-2:18) He is greater than Moses (Heb 3:1-4:7), mightier than Joshua, Israel’s great general (Heb 4:8-14), and His priesthood supersedes that of Aaron, the founder of Israel’s priesthood. (Heb 4:14-7:28) Nevertheless, they were all ordained by God and given their place and role at the proper time in the history of salvation. But all of them were pointing towards the supreme revelation of God in Jesus. After the resurrection, our Lord said to His disciples, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” (Lk 24:44)
Jesus’ superiority over all the prophets before Him is simply because He is the Son. It is significant that in Hebrews, Jesus is simply called the Son. This title of “the Son” is even higher than the title “Son of God” because we know that in those days, even the Kings and prophets and good people were called “sons of God.” (cf Gal 3:26, Ps 82:6) This title “the Son” is solely reserved for the Lord. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus revealed His intimacy with His Father. “All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Mt 11:27) Jesus has this unique relationship with the Father that we do not have. Jesus answered the Jews, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ – and the scripture cannot be annulled – can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?” (Jn 10:34-36) Indeed, as the Lord said, “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30)
Consequently, because Christ is the Word of God in person, Jesus speaks with authority and in Him, revelation is complete. In the past, God communicated Himself in parts and incompletely. His words were then provisional. Vatican II teaches, “For this reason Jesus perfected revelation by fulfilling it through his whole work of making Himself present and manifesting Himself: through His words and deeds, His signs and wonders, but especially through His death and glorious resurrection from the dead and final sending of the Spirit of truth. Moreover, He confirmed with divine testimony what revelation proclaimed, that God is with us to free us from the darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to life eternal. The Christian dispensation, therefore, as the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away and we now await no further new public revelation before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ (see 1 Tim 6:14 and Tit 2:13).” (Dei Verbum, 4)
Indeed, Jesus’ superiority over the prophets and angels stem only from the fact that He is the creator and heir of all things. He is the radiance of God through whom God created the world. He sustains “the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title he has inherited is higher than their own name.” St Paul wrote on the supremacy of Christ, calling Him, “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:15-17) Jesus Himself made this claim when He said, “before Abraham was, I am.” (Jn 8:58)
Finally, He is the Son of the Father and shares in His divine nature. “He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature.” God is light. Just as no one can separate light from the sun, Jesus’ nature cannot be separated from His Father. In Jesus, we see the essence of God. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn 14:9) Hence, Jesus is the answer to the mystery of God. He is the ultimate goal of man for He reveals to us who the Father is and by so doing also reveals to us our identity, purpose and goal in life. Jesus who is truly God, reveals God to us and because He is truly man, He reveals to us our innermost truth about ourselves. Only in this revelation of God and of ourselves, can man find the deepest longing of his heart fulfilled.
In the light of what is said, as Hebrew tells us, “the universe is sustained by His powerful command” and also “destroyed the defilement of sin” that has deformed creation, we are called to respond to His Word just as the first disciples did. We read in the gospel, when the Lord called them, they immediately left behind what they were doing and followed after Him. Jesus said to Simon and Andrew, “‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.”‘ Similarly, when He called James and John, the sons of Zebedee, “leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.” When God calls, we cannot say “No”, or even wait a little longer. When His majesty calls, we must serve Him at once without hesitation or delay.
And if we do, the Lord will make use of us powerfully to transform the world from darkness to light, from hatred to love. He gives us a new purpose in life. Even though the apostles were ordinary people, the Lord changed them from fishermen to fishers of man. St Paul articulates the power of God to transform us when we submit to the rule of God’s reign. “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Cor 1:26-29)
Today, we are called to take the words of our Lord seriously. The invitation to the kingdom life requires us to repent and believe. To repent means that we must be ready to give up our sinful way of life, the ways of the world, putting on a new mindset in Christ. We need to change our attitudes to life, God, and towards our fellowmen. It requires a firm resolution to live the life of the gospel. To believe is to take Jesus as the Word of God, believing Him to be the Son of God to whom we give total allegiance, so that freed from fear and the bondage of the Evil One, we can live in the freedom and joy as God’s adopted sons and daughters in Christ. Only in Christ, can we find salvation, peace and joy. St Paul says, only 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)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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