Answering the call and making time for God - Deacon Ron's Homily, Week 3 Ordinary Time

Readings for 3rd Sunday Ordinary Time
 
We all live in a very busy world today ruled by calendars with appointments and projects with deadlines.    We are task oriented with people to meet, places to go, and things to do. We have smart-phones, computers, day-timers, and watches to keep us on schedule. When something interrupts our schedule it can be disruptive and frustrating.

But every once in a while something does comes up needs immediate attention that takes priority over everything else. A child gets sick and needs to go to the doctor and be cared for. A close friend or relative passes away and you need to travel to support their family. These events weren’t in the plan but the urgency of the situation demands total attention. It needs to be addressed now and with action.   

I think this is what the disciples must have felt in responding to Jesus.  What else would have caused them to leave their jobs and family to follow Jesus?   It was totally out of the social norm to abandon a family during those times.  The fishing enterprise they were in seemed prosperous as Zebedee had a boat and hired hands, so it seemed unusual for them to leave stable employment. They must have felt a call that the situation was urgent and warranted their total attention to abandon everything and follow Jesus.  What would cause them to respond in this way?

 Jesus had just come to Galilee to start his public ministry.  Galilee was not the place that you would expect the Messiah to come. It was in the Northern part of Israel and had become known as the “Galilee of the Gentiles”.  During the exile of Israel the Assyrians relocated foreign tribes to settle in the area.   The Jews viewed these people as unclean and looked down on them.   Why would Jesus come to Galilee?  To fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah that that said God would manifest himself in Galilee.  He was coming not only for the Jews, but also for all people. 

Jesus preached the message:

This is the time of fulfillment.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the Gospel.

His message has a sense of urgency.  Now is the time!  God’s kingdom has come,

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manifested through the person of Jesus.  Jesus’ message appealed to the disciples situation. They were probably longing for relief from the Roman occupiers who imposed heavy taxes on their fishing industry and restrictions to the freedom.  A new kingdom of God would surely be better than their current situation. 

Jesus then gives them a personal invitation:

“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men”.

Jesus presence must have been commanding and with authority, as the disciples immediately abandoned their nets and followed Him.  The term, “fishers of men”, may have been a familiar to them and captured their attention.   A prophecy of Jeremiah references “many fishermen” to go out and gather the dispersed people of Israel.  The disciples were moved by a sense of excitement to be part of the mission. They felt it was now their time to respond and give up everything for Jesus.   Jesus needed their help to call people to repentance and share the Gospel with others.   He called some of the most unlikely people, simple fishermen, to help him share his message.  Jesus calls us as well.

Do we respond with the same sense of urgency when it comes to God interrupting our busy lives?  We heard today that this is the time of fulfillment and the kingdom of God is at hand, but do we really believe it?  Do we respond when called by Jesus to come follow him, repent and believe in the Gospel?  Are we open to listening to this call?

Several years ago I was not.    I was attending Mass, but just fitting it in to meet my Sunday obligation. I had several people invite me to a Christ Renew’s His Parish Retreat, but quickly turned them down. I already had God in my schedule and couldn’t afford more time.   After about a year of being asked I finally accepted the invitation.  I was going through a stressful time at work and felt a need to go. With reluctance I went to the retreat but told the presenters I’d be leaving by lunchtime.  They said to give God a few hours and see what happens.  Through their prayer and support I wound up staying for the entire retreat.  It led me to putting my relationship with Jesus as top priority in my life & discerning a call to the diaconate.  I’m glad I finally listened to the call and gave some time to God.

All of us here are on the right path to responding to the call.   We’ve started off today repenting our sins by praying the Confiteor. We’ve strengthened our belief by listening to the Gospel.   We’ll soon receive the Eucharist where we’ll encounter the Kingdom of God through the real presence of Christ.  This is a good place to start. Now we just need to be open to responding to the call of Jesus. Is God calling you to volunteer in a ministry, attend Christ Renews His Parish retreat or RCIA class, or put him top priority in your life?  If someone invites you, stay open to the call.  Take it to Jesus in prayer and listen.

Not everyone is called to abandon his or her family and jobs to follow Jesus, but we are called to put Jesus as top priority over everything else in our life.   Give God some time in your life by responding to his call with urgency. By putting Jesus first in our life it opens us up to a life long adventure as a disciple in the Kingdom of God.