Sunday Reflections
3rd Sunday year B
We are all fishers of men
1. ✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 1:14-20.
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’
As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.
2. Last Sunday we read about the call of Samuel and some other disciples. Today the readings are still on the call to serve God. The first reading from Jonah 3:2-5;10 is on the call of the people of Nineveh to conversion. The book of Jonah was written after the exile and was meant to convey a specific message to the Jews, namely, that God is the God of all who respond to his call. The Jews believed that their return from exile was a proof that God belongs to them and them alone. They expected others to be punished for not knowing their God. That explains why Jonah refused to go and prophesy in Nineveh. When he was eventually made by God to be in Nineveh he used provocative proclamation, hoping to annoy the people but to his greatest surprise the people turned to God. Their reaction was immediate. It stands as a condemnation to the Jews who before the exile were warned to repent but they refused.
3. The same theme of giving immediate response to God’s call is reflected in the gospel. Jesus chose to begin his ministry in Galilee. Galilee was a city bordering the pagan territories. Isaiah called it ‘Galilee of the Gentiles, people who dwell in great darkness. It was in this city that Jesus chose to begin his mission and to call his first disciples. Walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers mending their fishing net. He called them to follow him and immediately they followed him leaving behind their boat and nets. He addressed the same call to another two brothers and they responded the same way, leaving their net, boat, Father and workers behind. Jesus promised to make them fishers of men.
4. Being a fisherman at the time of Jesus was not an easy job. Fishermen spend the night at sea fishing. In the morning they come up with their catch, sell them, clean their net and prepare for the next night. Sometimes they spend the night toiling and end up catching no fish. They risk their life in the sea and can sometimes affront violent waves or dangerous sea beasts. If being fisherman is this dangerous, how much more would being a fisher of men be. It means being exposed to danger. The men called by Christ knew this but they followed him. With the exception of St. John, all the other apostles of Christ all died by martyrdom.
5. Today the first apostles are gone but there are still souls to win for Christ. All the baptized are today called to respond to the work of spreading the Good news of the kingdom. We are all fishers of men. The second reading (1Cor 7:29-31) calls us to detachment from the world and attachment to the Lord. We are called to continue the mission in two dimensions: ad intra (within) and ad extra (outside) the Church. Within the Church we are called to become active and not nominal members of the Church. We are to be involved in the life and activities of our Church. Outside we are called to make Christ known in our workplaces, business encounters and professional life. This is becoming more difficult today because the new world order wants to eliminate God from his world.
6. Jesus needed the disciples to make the gospel known. Without them the gospel would have died with his death. The survival of Christianity today, just like then depends on your becoming a fisher of men. Do not draw back in taking your own share of trouble and pains in order to advance the cause of the gospel. Like St. Paul says in Col 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” Take your own share of the pains of making Christ known to the world.
