Each week, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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In 2019, His Holiness Pope Francis instituted “The Sunday of the Word of God” to be celebrated every year on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. So, today, we reflect on God’s word in a special way.
The Word of God causes change. It is the Word, spoken over the formless void in Genesis, that made the heaven and the earth. “God said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light.’”
In our first reading from the Book of Jonah, “The word of the Lord came to Jonah.” God revealed his desire for Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah resisted and fled, only to be captured by the large fish and spit up on the shores of Nineveh. God’s Word is not easily ignored.
Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh. He comes to reveal God’s will and call to us. The words of Jesus tell us that the kingdom of God is at hand and his word urges us to repent and believe in the Gospel.
Of course, the Gospel is also the word of the Lord. And when we accept it, we cannot remain the same. When we let the creative Word of God into our lives, he creates us anew. That is why meditating on Sacred Scripture is so spiritually essential.
And that is the word that caused the brothers Simon and Andrew to leave their nets and join the first set of Jesus’ followers. In today’s Gospel, Jesus called them with these words, “Come after me.” And they came after him, their lives forever changed.
The Lord speaks a word to us as well. It is the Word of God that calls us to follow him. How can we stay where we are when he wants us to move forward with him to the kingdom of God? Let his Word make us new again.
God bless you and those you love.