Homily, 3rd Sunday, Ordinary Time, Cycle A - Will you answer Jesus' Call?

Today’s call of the first disciples reminds me about a guy I knew 14 years ago.  He’s a parish member who came to church every Sunday with his family.    When you saw him at Church, he seemed to pretty content, but he only came to fulfill his Sunday obligation.  Even though he was at Mass, his mind wasn’t really there.   The high pressure from his sales job was the focus of all his attention and he was under constant stress.  On his way out of Mass for several Sundays he was invited to attend a Christ Renews his Parish Retreat.    There was no way he had time to go on a retreat for whole weekend.  Jesus was calling him, but he was too occupied to answer the call.

Today we hear about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry after John the Baptist had been arrested.  Jesus returns to Galilee and probably spent some time in Nazareth with the Blessed Mother out of concern for the John’s imprisonment.  Jesus could have stayed in the quiet surroundings of Nazareth, but instead goes to Capernaum, a much larger city by the sea in the Northern region of the Israel that the Assyrians conquered eight centuries earlier.   It was a region that had fallen upon dark times. This was where the Jews were first invaded and forced into captivity. Isaiah’s prophecy was about an end to the darkness when they returned home about a hundred years later.  The Jews were freed from the darkness through the shining light of God’s salvation.   

Why did Jesus go to Capernaum to begin his ministry?  It was believed that where the Jews first experienced the darkness of captivity would be where God’s light would first shine through the coming of the Messiah.  So in Capernaum Jesus fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy to save the lost sheep of Israel preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Since this area was occupied for so long by the Assyrians there were many Gentiles who lived there.  While Jesus primary mission in Capernaum was for the Jew’s salvation, the many Gentile’s who were in Galilee foreshadowed the Church’s mission to save all nations.  Jesus doesn’t wait for people to come to him.  He goes to people who have experience darkness to bring them the light of salvation.

Jesus seeks help to proclaim the good news by calling on some unlikely prospects, four simple fishermen: Peter, Andrew, James, and John.   Jesus’ invitation:

“Come after me, I will make you fishers of men.”, seems to be a bit weird If you’re a fisherman.  But their response seems even weirder: they all immediately left their livelihood of fishing, and John and James even left their father.  Fishing was a good stable occupation and family was very important. Why would they give up putting money in their pockets and leave family to be “fishers of men”?  They had just met Jesus, so how could they know what that meant?   What caused their immediate response to follow Jesus?  The first is that they personally encountered Jesus.  They didn’t just hear about him; they were right there in His presence listening to his words.   The second was that Jesus called them.   They weren’t seeking Jesus out.  Jesus came to them and called them to follow him. Jesus’ Word came with the power and grace of God. Their immediate response was nothing short of miraculous and was the first miracle in Matthew’s Gospel. 

Why did Jesus call fishermen to be his first disciples?  They weren’t Scripture scholars.  They were probably uneducated and unable to read.  They were simple and humble men. Jesus probably saw some qualities in the fishermen he needed: faith, patience and persistence.  They also needed to be able to weather a storm.   These are a few qualities he may have seen in them.  But whatever else they needed, Jesus provided for them. Jesus doesn’t call those who are equipped.  He equips those who are called.

So when Jesus call us, we will immediately answer like the first disciples?  I suspect many of you have already answered the call since you are here.  You’re going to the Capernaum’s in your lives to be fishers of men and sharing the good news.   We each have unique skills that Jesus can use to reach people.  How are you doing that if you’re going to school, working, raising a family, or taking care of a home?  By living as a Christian disciple among those who don’t know Christ in our schools, workplaces, with our neighbors, or where we recreate.  We can do this by being friends to people who don’t know Christ, and taking time to listen to their joys and struggles.  We can offer them prayers of support, help when appropriate, and be ready to share the Good news when the time is right.

What if you haven’t had that personal encounter with Christ and answered the call to follow him?   Is something possessing you that prevents you from hearing the call of Christ to come follow him?   Do you hear the call, but aren’t answering because you have more important things to do?   The personal encounter with Christ may come when you least expect it.  It may be a time when you are struggling with a problem.  It could be an illness, a job loss, death of loved one, or failure of a marriage or friendship.  These times of suffering may be when you encounter Christ, because you need him.    If you’re struggling why not make some time to personally encounter Christ.  Take some quiet time with Christ in prayer and in reading his Word.  Schedule a time with our priests or deacon for some spiritual direction.  Or possibly plan to go on a retreat.

Well the guy in the beginning of the story did eventually answer Jesus’ call.  He received personal note from friend inviting him to attend the Christ Renews His Parish Retreat.  He took it as sign that God was calling him, thinking it might be able to relieve for the stress.  Reluctantly he went, and was ready to leave if didn’t meet his expectations.  About three hours into the retreat he let his guard and down finally encountered Jesus.   That guy was me.   After the retreat I put Jesus first in my life and answered the call to follow Him.

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We now continue to personally encounter Jesus in the presence of the Eucharist.   As we receive His Body and Blood let’s ask Jesus for the help we need to answer yes to the call to follow Him and help spread the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven

Homily for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God - Mary is our model of faith and prayerful pondering

         Happy New Year!  I’m glad to see you’ve all finally made it back to church.  It seems like it’s been since last year since I’ve seen you all.

Today is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, which is the Eighth Day in Octave of the Christmas Season.  This is a Holy Day of obligation, but since it falls on a Sunday you miss the opportunity to go to church an extra day this year. Today we recognize Mary’s special role in being Mother of God.   

Many of us make resolutions for the New Year as a new beginning.  I was curious about the most popular resolutions and found the Marist poll of annual New Year’s Resolutions with the top five being:

1)   Being a better person

2)   Tie - Losing Weight / Exercising More

3)   Spending less and saving more money

4)   improving one’s health

5)   eating healthier

I really like the first one in being a better person.  One of the best models in being a better person is the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Of course Mary always leads us to Jesus, the model we all strive for, as she was his first and best disciple. Mary brought about a new beginning for mankind through the birth of her son, Jesus, by her strong faith.  Mary’s faith and prayerful pondering are great examples as we make our own New Year resolutions.

Mary was prepared for her special role as being the Mother of God by being preserved from Original Sin from the time of conception. Even though she was given this special grace, Mary still had the freedom to choose in cooperating with God’s plan.  When the Angel Gabriel greeted her with, “Hail, Favored One, you will would conceive a son who be the Messiah and Lord”, Mary must have really been tested.  Since she had no relations with Joseph, conceiving a child would have been a scandal and possibly life threatening. 

Trying to understand God’s plan, Mary asked the angel how this could happen. Who responded: Through Holy Spirit she would conceive the Son of God.  After pondering the angel’s response, Mary answered a resounding yes! 

Now what is pondering?  Pondering is taking time to prayerfully reflect on the meaning of life’s events in relation to God.  Mary’s yes came through her strong faith in God, making it possible for birth of the Son of God.  How did Mary develop such great faith?  We don’t exactly know, but we can suspect that spending time with God’s Word and pondering in prayer surely helped.

We hear today Mary’s pondering the shepherds message who came in search of the

infant lying in the manger.  The angel’s message to the shepherds was: Good news of great joy for all the people!  A savior was born who would be Messiah and Lord. This was very similar to Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary and we’re told she kept all she heard in her heart.   

Another time we hear of Mary’s pondering was in response to Jesus being lost in the Temple where he says to his parents after being found, “Did you not know I must be in my Father’s house”.  When Mary ponders she’s prayerful reflecting over time of God’s plan for her and her Son.

Mary’s pondering gives us a good model to follow in reflecting on God’s plan for us.   She’s a very good intercessor in prayer for our own joys and sorrows.   Even though she’s the Mother of God, she has a lot in common with us.  She is a mortal human being like each of us and a mother who cared for and loved her child.  Mary experienced many joys and sorrows in her life that we can unite to ours:

-       She rejoiced to God in learning of her conception of Jesus.

-       She was told her heart would be pierced when presenting Jesus in the Temple.

-       She was a homeless refugee as she fled with Joseph and Jesus to Egypt.

-       She lost her child for three days in the temple.

-       She lost her husband and was a widow

-       She met her Son on his way to be crucified.

-       She witnessed her Sons’ crucifixion.

-       She received the Her Son’s dead body and buried her Son.

Mary is also like a mother to us.  She gave birth to the Son of God, Jesus, who made us children of God.  She is now in heaven with her Son and we can develop a relationship with Mary as our Heavenly Mother which will help us to grow closer to Jesus. Many of us ask our friends and family to pray for us when we have struggles.  So if we ask our friends and family to pray for us, why not ask our Blessed Mother in heaven who is closest to Jesus, to offer prayers for us?

So how can we ask for Mary’s prayers and follow her model of pondering?  One way is by praying the Rosary. The prayers of the Rosary, the Apostles Creed, Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory be, are all familiar to us. In praying these on the  beads of the Rosary it provides a quiet rhythm as we meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary through the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries.   While praying the Rosary, we can ask Mary to intercede in prayer for our life’s challenges.   Praying the Rosary allows us find some quiet time and peace to be with our Blessed Mother and our Lord.  It also gives us an opportunity to become better disciples of Jesus, by meditating on his life.   

If praying a full Rosary seems to be a challenge, consider praying just one decade to start.   Another prayer to consider is the Magnificat, Mary’s prayer of gratitude found in the 2^nd chapter of Luke. Every evening clergy, religious, and even some lay people pray this as part of the Liturgy of the Hours.  It’s a good way to close each day reflecting on God’s blessings in your life and uniting them with Mary’s gratitude for the gift of Jesus.

So in making your New Year’s resolutions look to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model of faith in saying yes to God and prayerfully pondering God’s will in your life.   The Mother of God can be a powerful prayer intercessor and lead you to grow closer to her son, Jesus.   Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You!

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