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January 23, 2017Today we hear the story of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry: he came proclaiming the Good News; he came healing the sick; and he came and called people by name to be his followers. If we were to put this in a brief twitter, we would begin with the three words: “proclaiming, healing, calling.”
What did Jesus proclaim? The Good News of the Gospel. We believe that the first gift of our faith is the love of God, the humble God who became one of us in love. In our faith we need to touch into the love and the call of God. May we never lose touch of the beautiful reality that the first gift of our faith, the first gift of the proclamation of Jesus is the love of God.
Who first proclaimed to you the love of God – the first gift of faith?
Who are the people in your life who proclaim to you the love of God – the first gift of faith?
Do we in the faith community proclaim to each other the love of God? Shame on us if we do not.
In proclaiming the love of God, we are not to shy away from the Lord’s message of repentance for our sins. Jesus challenges us to turn away from the darkness of sin so that we can live in the light of God’s loving presence. Sin alienates us from the kingdom of heaven. Repentance demands humility and fundamental change of heart. Otherwise we cannot truly be Jesus’s disciples.
The Scriptures today call us to move from darkness to light, from the darkness of our sinfulness to the light of Christ. From Isaiah in the first Scripture reading, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.”
In the second Scripture reading, Paul speaks of the reality of the human condition as it was reported to him about the rivalries in the Christian community of Corinth. Paul writes: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
On Friday we celebrated the inauguration of our 45 th president of the United States, President Donald Trump. Part of the genius of our democracy is the peaceful transition of power from President Obama to President Trump. That being said, there have been far too many rivalries, too much division, too much mean-spiritedness among Republicans and Democrats.
As St Paul writes in the second Scripture reading, there is considerable division in the Corinthian community. Paul’s prayer for the Corinthians is our prayer for our government leaders that in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that there be no divisions among you, but you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
Paul knows well the reality of the human condition. Sin is in all of us. That includes power, greed, and self-centeredness. But our prayer and our hope and our trust needs to be focused in our lives, in our Church, and in our government that we need to work together. We need to collaborate with each other in discovering our better angels and how best to serve each other and how best to serve those most in need.
The coming of Jesus brings forgiveness, healing, renewal, and wholeness. He calls on us to change lives and minds, and he brings us God’s pardon. He invites us to a new life, and he empowers us to set out to live that new life. The God who is close is the God who is gentle and forgiving.
As we reflect on the call of the first apostles in the Gospel account, when Jesus sees Peter and Andrew, he looks them in the eye and says, “Follow me.” He needs help in gathering the people.
Jesus’ inaugural address to the apostles was rather brief: “Follow me.”
In choosing Peter and Andrew and James and John, Jesus wasn’t choosing the best and the brightest, but Jesus was developing a team, a team that he would collaborate with. The first apostles trusted completely in the Lord and were willing to leave everything to follow Jesus.
As we reflect on the call of the first apostles, this leads us to pray over the call each of us receives to be a disciple of Jesus. In asking ourselves what is our level of commitment to follow Jesus, I share Pope Francis' dream. I dream that we will give Jesus first place in our lives. That we will hear him say, "Follow me." And that we will do our part in gathering God’s people together as the faith community of St. Joseph’s: including those who have become discouraged, those who have drifted from the faith, families with small children, high school students and young adults.
We have tough competition - a consumer society that promises fulfillment apart from God. Because of that false promise, people drift away from active engagement in our faith community.
You and I are called to gather people in the faith community of St Joseph’s; we have a role to play in the big story of the Catholic Church. If we take time for prayer, if we repent and allow Jesus work through us, then by his power we can gather people. Jesus is the light for those living in darkness. Today Jesus still says: "Follow me."
I know of a beautiful story of a woman who had a rough childhood – considerable family issues and some abuse. This person was student at St. Joseph’s School in her childhood. In her own telling of her story, the way she made it through her difficult childhood was that each morning on the way to school, when she turned the corner, she saw her classroom light on. Then she knew all would be well. She experienced at St. Joseph’s School the strength, the faith and the love that helped her become the woman she is today. Please God this is who we are as a church and as a school.
I’ve heard it said that it’s a long winding road from the head to the heart. As we reflect on the Lord’s call in our lives, “Follow me.” The Lord’s invitation to us calls for a conversion of our heart -- the kingdom of God is not just a promised reality; it is a present reality. We are called to be a Church of service and love to one another -- not just a hierarchy or a building but we need the repentance that brings real change of heart on the inside. Lord, we thank you that Jesus is still preaching a message of love and forgiveness. Have a blessed day.
