Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
Our Gospel is taken from the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint Mark. His Gospel is crisp and to the point. In the first chapter he recalls the mission and the ministry of Jesus, who “came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God.” He said: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
The “Gospel of God” that Jesus proclaims is Good News for us, but it requires a decision. Will we or won’t we follow Him to the kingdom? Will we or won’t we pick up the cross that is at the heart of the kingdom? And will we or won’t we embrace the new life of the kingdom that comes from being forgiven by Jesus.
Ultimately, post-cross, the Good News is most fully received when we have an encounter with the risen Christ — a personal and real encounter with a flesh and blood man who is very much alive — who still calls every person in every generation by name to come and follow him to God’s dwelling place. A messiah who comes to us in a unique sacramental way in the Eucharist which is so imbued with his life that that we call it his “real” presence. Truly Good News!
That decision to receive the Good News is no longer the decision of Simon and Andrew, or James and John who left everything in order to follow Jesus. This “time of fulfillment” is our time and to follow Jesus as believers is our choice.
For those of us who are baptized, we must wake up each day, allow Jesus to call us by name, and follow him to worship God, take care of those who live on the fringes, and accept the vocation that God has called us to live as single or married, clergy or laity, whether young or old, rich or poor. We must embrace our baptismal promises to reject the lies of the devil and believe in the truth of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as it has been handed on to us in the one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
For those persons who are not yet baptized, the call of Jesus comes when the Good News is announced to them by others. And the “others” are those of us who are baptized. Jesus calls us to call them to follow after him with us.
At one time, we believed that the Church would simply regenerate itself. That our children would bring their children to be baptized and raise them in the practice of the faith, just like we did when our parents had us baptized as infants (most of us, at least). That worked for many generations, but no longer.
In order to fill the Church with faithful people, we must relearn how to go fishing for souls. We must not be afraid to let people know that we have found the one who has saved us. We should not be shy in telling people that Jesus remains with us in our sacraments and in the Living Word of God, in His Church, and through many promptings of the Holy Spirit. And we should work on the living relationship we have with Jesus so that we can proclaim him authentically to others.
And we must relearn how to fish with good bait. What is this good bait? I will name just a few of the best “lures” we can use to go fishing for disciples: (1) Live what we profess — raise families rooted in faith, make Sunday truly a day devoted to God and family, serving those on the margins of life; (2) Allow Jesus to make us holy — rooting our lives in prayer and mercy; (3) Support the works of the Church and its many ministries and ministers; (4) Center our own lives on the virtues of faith, hope and love. (5) Love without counting the cost. These are just a few of the ways to attract others to Christ. And pray unceasingly for men and women to have open hearts to the call of Jesus to “Repent and believe in the Gospel” and follow him.
But first, may we hear the call of Jesus in our lives for ourselves — and then echo that call to those around us.
Have a blessed week everyone.