Repent, and believe in the gospel.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 68

It-Tielet Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1   

JONAH 3:1-5, 10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah, saying: "Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you." So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD'S bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed, " when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

Qari I 

Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġona 3, 1-5.10 

Il-kelma tal-Mulej waslet lil Ġona u qallu: “Qum, mur f’Ninwè, il-belt il-kbira, u xandrilha li ngħidlek jien”. U Ġona qam u mar f’Ninwè kif qallu l-Mulej. Issa Ninwè kienet belt kbira għall-aħħar, trid tlitt ijiem biex timxiha. Ġona, kif daħal il-belt, beda ġurnata mixi, ixandar u jgħid: “Erbgħin jum ieħor, u Ninwè ssir ħerba!”. In-nies ta’ Ninwè emmnu f’Alla, nedew sawma u libsu l-ixkejjer, mill-kbir saż-żgħir. U Alla ra x’għamlu, kif reġgħu lura minn triqthom il-ħażina. U Alla raġa’ bdielu mid-deni li qal li kien se jagħmlilhom, u ma għamlux. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                                                                                                                         PSALM 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;

teach me your paths,

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my savior.

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD,

and your love are from of old.

In your kindness remember me,

because of your goodness, O LORD.

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Good and upright is the LORD;

thus he shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble to justice

and teaches the humble his way.

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Salm Responsorjali

Salm 24 (25), 4bċ-5ab.6-7bċ.8-9

Triqatek, Mulej, għarrafni,

il-mogħdijiet tiegħek għallimni.

Mexxini fis-sewwa tiegħek u għallimni,

għax int Alla tas-salvazzjoni tiegħi.

 R/. (4a): Triqatek, Mulej, għarrafni

Ftakar fil-ħniena u t-tjieba tiegħek,

għax huma minn dejjem, Mulej.

Inti tajjeb, Mulej;

ftakar fija skont it-tjieba tiegħek. 

R/. (4a): Triqatek, Mulej, għarrafni

Tajjeb u sewwa l-Mulej;

għalhekk juri triqtu lill-ħatja.

Imexxi l-imsejkna fis-sewwa,

jgħallem lill-fqajrin it-triq tiegħu.

R/. (4a): Triqatek, Mulej, għarrafni

Reading  2                                                                                                                                              1 CORINTHIANS 7:29-31

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning,  those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.

Qari II

Qari mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 7, 29-31

Dan ngħidilkom, ħuti: iż-żmien qsar. Ħa jkunu, mela, dawk li għandhom mara, bħallikieku ma għandhomx; dawk li jibku, bħallikieku ma jibkux; dawk li jifirħu, bħallikieku ma jifirħux; dawk li jixtru, bħallikieku ma għandhom xejn; dawk li jgawdu d-dinja, bħallikieku ma jgawduhiex; għax is-sura ta’ din id-dinja għad tgħaddi! Il-Kelma tal-Mulej  

Gospel                                                                                                                                                    MARK 1:14-20

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they  abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

Evanġelju

 Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Mark 1, 14-20

Wara li arrestaw lil Ġwanni, Ġesù mar il-Galilija jxandar l-Evanġelju ta’ Alla u jgħid: “Iż-żmien huwa mitmum, u s-Saltna ta’ Alla waslet; indmu u emmnu fl-Evanġelju”. Waqt li kien għaddej ma’ xatt il-baħar tal-Galilija, lemaħ lil Xmun u ’l ħuh Indrì qegħdin ikalaw ix-xbiek fil-baħar, għax kienu sajjieda. U Ġesù qalilhom: “Ejjew warajja, u nagħmel minnkom sajjieda tal-bnedmin”. U minnufih telqu x-xbiek, u marru warajh. Wara li mexa ftit ieħor ra lil Ġakbu ta’ Żebedew u lil ħuh Ġwanni fid-dgħajsa qegħdin isewwu x-xbiek, u minnufih sejħilhom. U huma telqu lil missierhom Żebedew fid-dgħajsa mal-lavranti, u marru warajh. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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The Big Fish, the Great Catch, the Ultimate Commission

Commentary by Fr Thomas Rosica

Those with literal minds will question many things about the Jonah story [Jonah 3:1-5, 10]: the great fish, the size and population of this immense city, and the conversion of the Assyrians.

On the other hand, those who really listen to and view this story with ears and eyes of faith will take all of these other factors in stride. What is essential is not the size of God's sea monsters, nor the distances to be covered within cities, nor the large numbers of those converted.

For people of faith, the rather amazing Jonah story contains a far greater message: Because the people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah and turned from their evil ways, God repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them. No person, place or situation is beyond God's mercy and healing reach!

It is no wonder, then, that Christianity saw Jonah as a positive figure prefiguring Christ and his universal Gospel message. Through Christ, God approaches his world in a new, decisive way in order to fulfill all the expectations and hopes of the Old Testament.

Jesus to the city

When the disciples in Sunday's Gospel [Mark 1:14-20] leave their nets and present occupations in order to submit to God's Kingdom, they model what this turning from and turning toward means. How can we bring the Good News of God and of Jesus to our cities that are often so vast, so impersonal, so busy and filled with noise?

At times do we not often run the other way to the lake and wait for some speedboat or cruise ship to pick us up and take us to a quiet, peaceful place that is much less complicated and less hostile to our message? How can we Christians be the souls of our cities?

We begin by celebrating the Eucharist with devotion and love. We must pray incessantly. We continue to do many hidden, quiet sacrifices each day of our lives with love, peace and joy. We take our baptism seriously and activate the Beatitudes in daily living. We must never give up in living God's Word and preaching it to others in words and deeds.

The Zeal of St. Paul

This great Apostle to the Gentiles causes every Catholic hold up a mirror to his or her life and to ask, “Am I as determined and as energetic about spreading the Catholic faith as St. Paul was?”

Our Catholic faith only grows when we consciously and conscientiously share it with others. Christ will look at each one of us with his merciful eyes at our individual judgment and ask what efforts we made during the course of our lifetime to invite people into communion with Jesus Christ and his Church. In the end, the Lord will ask us: “Did you love me? To whom did you preach the Good News? How many people did you bring with you?”

The Ultimate Commission

What does Jesus Christ demand of us today? Repentance, conversion, a turning away from our own ideas about how God's Kingdom should operate and a turning toward belief in Christ's teaching and example about God's Kingdom that is among us here and now. Our ultimate commission is to preach the word of God in season and out of season.

May the fire that the Holy Spirit poured into the heart of St. Paul of Tarsus, inflame our hearts to be vibrant and effective missionaries of the New Evangelization. May it strengthen us never to give up, especially when it seems like no one is listening any more. For it is precisely at such moments that the Lord will say again to us: "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people."

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