First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Reflection:
Most of us know the story of Jonah, who was at first reluctant to follow God’s command to go to Ninevah. The Ninevites were enemies of the Israelites, so naturally Jonah would not want to go to them, especially when his message was a call to repentance so that God would have mercy on them. Jonah would have rather seen the Ninevites pay the consequences for their immorality. So, at first, Jonah ran away, heading in the complete opposite direction of Ninevah. As we know the story goes, his ship was caught in a huge storm. Since Jonah knew the storm was a consequence of his actions, he had the others throw him overboard so the storm would subside. He was then swallowed by a large fish where he spent three days and three nights. This Sunday’s reading follows after all of these episodes and speaks of the time when Jonah finally heeded the Lord’s commands and went to Ninevah. There he preached repentance and warned of the coming doom if they would not change their ways. To Jonah’s surprise, the people immediately believed and repented, which was illustrated by their fasting and wearing sackcloth. As a result, God had mercy on them and spared them from the intended destruction.
This story points forward to Jesus, who was (and is) greater than Jonah (see Matt. 12:41). Jesus came preaching repentance and calling people to believe in God, just like Jonah. Jesus was also foreshadowed in the figure of Jonah by his three days in the fish. In fact, Jesus himself said, “Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Matt. 12:40). This referred to Jesus’ time in the tomb before the resurrection. Finally, this passage is a good reminder of our need to repent. We should learn a lesson from the Ninevites and be quick to repent when we sin against God.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Reflection:
Here the Apostle Paul speaks of the fleeting nature of the world. There will be a time when all that we know of this world will be gone. In one way, this reminds us that our lives are temporary, for we all die. It also speaks, more specifically in this case, of the end of the world when all will pass away. Paul’s exhortations to “let those having wives act as not having them, etc.” may seem extreme. His point, of course, is not to ignore our spouse or neglect all the things of this world. Rather, he is teaching us to be detached from those things. For even good things can distract us from our relationship with God. We must make God our top priority, for He is all that will matter when this world has passed away. Everything else should serve the purpose of orienting us to God.
Gospel Reading: Mark 1:14-20
Reflection:
The arrest of John the Baptist prompted Jesus to move His ministry to Galilee. There, Jesus’s preaching focused on the kingdom of God, which is the Church. In announcing the kingdom, Jesus’s first exhortation was to “repent, and believe in the gospel.” This is important to note, for it summarizes the entirety of Jesus’s message. Jesus came to preach repentance and faith and ultimately to make both of those fully possible to us through His death and resurrection. But what is repentance? To repent literally means to change one’s ways. It entails a turning away from sin and turning toward God. Thus, Jesus is calling people to turn from their sinfulness and follow Him (who is God in the flesh). Through repentance and faith we can participate in His kingdom. In fact, these really are the defining marks of Christians. As Christ-followers, we are to be people of faith—trusting in God’s promises—and people of repentance—acknowledging our sins and constantly turning from them toward God.
In doing this, we are called to be detached from the things of this world, as the second reading teaches. We see this detachment and radical obedience exemplified in the two sets of brothers in this Gospel reading: Simon and Andrew, and James and John. They were going about their business, doing their family trade of fishing in order to make a living. But then they encountered the Messiah, who changed their lives forever. Jesus called them to a different lifestyle of being “fishers of men.” In other words, He called them to be ministers in His kingdom. And they immediately dropped everything, leaving livelihood and family behind, to follow Him. This evidences a radical detachment and openness to the work of God in their lives—one that is worthy of our emulation.
Application:
- Would you be willing to give up everything to follow Jesus? Is your relationship with God the most important thing in your life? What things of this world do you need to become more detached from, so you can be more free to follow Jesus wherever he leads? Reflect this week on what areas of your life you need to give more fully over to God, turning from sin in repentance, and directing your gaze upon God.
