23 Jan 2011, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Is 8:23-9:3-1

First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali;
but in the end he has glorified the seaward road,
the land west of the Jordan,
the District of the Gentiles.

Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness:
for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
Responsorial PsalmR. (1a)

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Reading 2
1 Cor 1:10-13, 17

I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree in what you say,
and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters,
by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you.
I mean that each of you is saying,
“I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”
or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

Gospel
Mt 4:12-23

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.

or

Mt 4:12-17

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Meditation: Matthew 4:12-23

“Come after me.” (Matthew 4:19)


Passion, inspiration, conviction, love—which of Jesus’ virtues made these first disciples so eager to leave their nets, their families, and their homes, to follow him? Whatever it was, it obviously had a dramatic impact on these men. After all, they stayed with him for three years, traveling the length and breadth of the Holy Land until he was crucified in Jerusalem.

We may wonder if this radical decision to follow Jesus really did take place in one moment. Did Jesus simply walk up to them and say: “Follow me”? Or were these words the culmination of a number of encounters and invitations?

We may never be able to answer these questions fully. But we can be sure about Matthew’s main point in this passage. He wants us to know that these four men—Peter, Andrew, James, and John—did decide to put away their fishing nets, leave their families, and become Jesus’ disciples. Furthermore, three of the four—Peter, James, and John—became Jesus’ closest disciples. They had the privilege of witnessing things that the other disciples did not—the Transfiguration, Jesus’ agony in the garden, and the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead. We can assume that Jesus invited these three to witness more because of the depth of their commitment to him and because of his desire that they become leaders among their brothers.

Jesus’ call, “Come after me,” is meant for all of us. We are all called to become his disciples. And if we are humble and obedient in response, we will be rewarded with deeper insights into Jesus’ mind and deeper experiences of his heart.

Pope Benedict XVI once said: “Only when a person is struck and opened up by Christ can true community grow.” Let’s ask Jesus to show us whatever he showed these men so that we might choose to live for him and build up his church in our world.

“Lord, thank you for calling me. I choose to follow you!”