REPENTANCE FOR RENEWAL
A Christendom without reformation or renewal is doomed. This conversion or repentance is a radical renewal of faith, lifestyle, and commitment to God. Our vocation to know, to love, and to serve God begins with a call to authentic or genuine conversion.
The effectiveness and efficiency of Christian faith and Christians in a world plagued by irreligiosity, secularization, and ideological indifferences of atheists, agnosticism, the death of God, and the irrelevance of religion can only be overcome by authentic reformation. Christianity and Christians cannot remain unreal to the urgency of faith renewal that is very paramount to their survival
OUR THEME
The three readings today underline our absolute need for repentance and our immediate need for a prompt response to God’s call.
The readings of the third Sunday of ordinary time invite or call us to conversion or repentance. A radical renewal and repentance from our sins, falsehood, and indifference.
Conversion is the first call of vocation response of God´s kingdom. We can never be authentic Christians without conversion, repentance, and renewal.
FIRST READING JONAH 3:1-5, 10
Through the Prophet Jonah God´s judgment was pronounced on the people of Nineveh the capital of Assyria. It is a land of biblical iniquitous that God wanted to purify. Unexpectedly, Jonah’s preaching finds a positive response from the pagan Ninevites. They repent of their sins and seek the face of God. God too had a change of heart on the calamities he wanted to inflict on the city for their sins.
There is a strong reawakening call to all like Jonah to proclaim, announce, and invite all to repentance or conversion. That is, a courageous attitude to be open to positive and transformative change. The mercy of God is not infinite but imminent to all.
Later, Jesus Christ will allude to the people of Nineveh as those who take advantage of God´s moment of grace, goodness, and mercy to be redeemed (Matthew 12:41; Luke 11:32).
The psalm (24) of today encourages us to seek God´s way so that we can walk in the righteous and truthful path that leads to peace and life. The psalmist declares “Teach me your ways, O Lord”.
SECOND READING 1 CORINTHIANS 7:25-31
Saint Paul continues his discussion on vocational marriage and singlehood and the worries and cares that come with each state of being. He proposes a level of detachment from the dear, familiar things that may be hindrances to us in fulfilling God´s call. Self-discipline is an excellent thing for Paul to overcome the instincts of human passion. It is fundamental to state here that a genuine vocation needs a constant act of evaluation, examination, and repentance to be productive or fruitful.
It is clear in Paul´s view that marriage is not a sin or staying single a disgrace. Hence, marriage is a good thing to live and singlehood is a better thing to live. As there is freedom from worldly worries to freedom to serve unrestrictedly in singlehood rather than marriage. However, for Paul, they are all forms of life´s vocation to live, know, love, and serve gracefully.
Therefore, St. Paul reminds us of the cost of discipleship in whatever form of vocations we find ourselves be it martial, consecrated, or single life. Our calling in whatever form is to first and foremost please the Lord. We are told that, the world is passing away and that our actions must change. We must put all of our energy into seeking God and the ways of God.
THE GOSPEL: MARK 1:14-20
Jesus’ call for authentic repentance and belief in the Good News at the beginning of his public life and ministry is very fundamental to the Christian faith and life throughout the ages. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
Jesus in the Gospel Mark 1:14-20 invites all to repent and believe in the Good News of the kingdom of God. We called and commissioned his early disciples to be fishers of men to repentance and believe the Good News of the Kingdom. This calling is urgent and has several implications:
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The time-spacious reality of the kingdom of God in and among us Jesus invites us to believe in the gospel. “Believe,” says Jesus, “in the good news.” This implies coming to have faith in God, his Word, and his promises. As well as the concrete salvific actions he takes to save us all.
REPENTANCE
Jesus called for repentance is strong and urgent for the kingdom’s realization. There is a need for a change of heart and lifestyle-repentance. The word repentance is a Greek word “metanoia” which means a change of mind or heart.
On the issue of conversion or repentance, there is always a misconception of
(I) Being sorry for the consequences of sins
(II) Being sorry for the sins.
(III) Often, what we are sorry for or that leads us to a sort of repentance is the fear of the consequences of our sins and not the actual sin itself.
(IV) True repentance or conversion means that not only a Christian comes to be sorry for the consequences of his sin but to hates sin itself.
(V) That is to have a change of mind which means he or she who was in love with sin comes to hate sin because of its exceeding sinfulness.
THE GOOD NEWS
Finally, the word “euaggelion” in Greek means good news, from which we got our gospel through the New Testament we can see at least something of its content. The good news that Jesus came to bring to men and women signifies many things:
(a) It is the good news of truth (Galatians 2:5; Colossians 1:5).
(b) It is the good news of hope (Colossians 1:23).
(c) It is the good news of peace (Ephesians 6:15).
(d) It is the good news of God’s promise (Ephesians 3:6).
(e) It is the good news of immortality (2 Timothy 1:10).
(f) It is the good news of salvation (Ephesians 1:13).
The second part of the gospel of today has a connection to the first part. Jesus’ project of establishing the kingdom of God among men and women is not a one-man enterprise but a communal and mutual project. All hands must be on the deck for its propagation and extension to every corner of the globe.
In that way, his first line of action is to choose the men who will help propagate or extend this salvific project. Jesus invited Simon, Andrew, James, and John to join him and help in his preaching and healing ministry. This they accepted whole-hearted and promptly without hesitation.
It is naturally of the greatest interest to study the men whom Jesus picked out as his first followers.
JESUS’ CHOICE OF MEN
1. They were very simple men. They were not academics, ecclesiastics, aristocrats, or wealthy people. They are just “common” or ordinary people whom God in his infinite wisdom chose to change the world.
2. They were not idle or lazy men. They had a profession, a life, and a passion to serve men. Hence, the phrase I will make you fishers of men. God uses our human passions to build up his kingdom project. Grace never works in a vacuum but builds on nature.
3. They were men of disposition and instinct to be able to fish well and safely. As such, when they heard Christ’s invitation to “follow me”, they instinctively left everything to follow him.
4. They are men of labour and task as well as men of great patience to see the fruitfulness of their labour. God taps into our highest quality or greatest virtue to bring about total transformation in us and the world.
The Christian vocation whether in marriage, consecrated, or single life is a life of grace. A life of constant struggle to do the will of God above our will and its inclinations. Therefore, there is always the need for renewal, reformation, and repentance. There can be no authentic Christian witnessing and vocational testimony without metanoia: the constant change of mind or heart to do God´s will.
Hence, our vocational calling has a price tag attached to it. It is never enough to discover and respond to it. It involves giving up something precious and it also comes with a high risk of rejection and persecution.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, You call us to repent and believe in the good news. As well as call us to a collaborative ministry with you and for you. Help us to realize always the need to renew our Christian commitment and to do so within your grace, goodness, and mercy. Amen
4 Comments