OUR ABSOLUTE NEED OF REPENTANCE

 Readings for Sunday, January 24, 2021

 

Sunday of the Word of God
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 68

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

Reading I       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        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
R/. (4a): Triqatek, Mulej, għarrafni.
Triqatek, Mulej, għarrafni,
il-mogħdijiet tiegħek għallimni.
Mexxini fis-sewwa tiegħek u għallimni,
għax int Alla tas-salvazzjoni tiegħi. R/.

Ftakar fil-ħniena u t-tjieba tiegħek,
għax huma minn dejjem, Mulej.
Inti tajjeb, Mulej;
ftakar fija skont it-tjieba tiegħek. R/.

Tajjeb u sewwa l-Mulej;
għalhekk juri triqtu lill-ħatja.
Imexxi l-imsejkna fis-sewwa,
jgħallem lill-fqajrin it-triq tiegħu. R/.

Reading II       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        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 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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Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil     Our absolute need of repentance

Introduction: The three readings next Sunday's celebration of ther Eucharist, underline our absolute need of repentance and our immediate need for a prompt response to God’s call.

Scripture lessons:

The first reading tells us how God had to deal with the disobedient, fleeing prophet Jonah to turn him around (convert him), so that, repenting, he would go to Nineveh to preach repentance there. The wicked people of Nineveh, however, accepted Jonah as God’s prophet at once, and promptly responded to God’s call for repentance as Jonah preached it. In the second reading, Paul urges the Christian community in Corinth to lose no time in accepting the message of the Gospel and in renewing their lives with repentance because Jesus’ second coming may occur at any moment. Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus came to Galilee and began preaching, challenging people to “repent and believe in the Gospel.” 

Just as John did, Jesus also called for repentance, meaning a change in one’s mind or in the direction of one’s life and setting new priorities. Repentance also means hating sin itself, not just being sorry for the consequences of one’s sins. Believing in the Gospel demands from the hearers a resolution to take Jesus’ words seriously, to translate them into action, and to put trust in Jesus’ authority. Jesus preached the Gospel, or Good News, that God is a loving, forgiving, caring and merciful Father Who wants to liberate us and save us from our sins through His son Jesus. 

By describing the call of Jesus’ first disciples, Andrew, Peter, James, and John,Sunday’s Gospel also emphasizes how we, sinners, are to respond to God’s call with total commitment by abandoning our accustomed style of sinful life. Jesus started his public ministry immediately after John the Baptist was arrested. According to Mark, Jesus selected four fishermen, Andrew and his brother Peter with James and his brother John, right from their fishing boats. Jesus wanted these ordinary, hard-working people as assistants for his ministry because they would be very responsive and generous instruments in the hands of God.

Life messages: 

1) We need to appreciate our call to become Christ’s disciples: Every one of us is called by God, both individually, and collectively as a parish community, to continue Jesus’ mission of preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom and healing the sick

2) We are called individually to a way of life or vocation: – a religious commitment (priest, deacon, missionary, religious Sister or Brother, marriage partner, or single person), plus a particular occupation rising from our talents (medicine, law, teaching, healing, writing, art, music, building and carpentry, homemaking, child-rearing ….). Our own unique vocation should enable us to become what God wants us to be.  As St. Francis Sales puts it, we are expected to bloom where we are planted.  

3) Our call, of course, begins with our Baptism and the other Sacraments of Initiation. It is strengthened through the years with the Eucharist and Reconciliation, healed and consoled by Anointing and, for those so called, made manifest in the sacraments of Matrimony or Holy Orders. The amazing truth is that God is relentless in calling us back to Himself even when we stray away from Him.

 4) Let us be thankful to God for His Divine grace of calling us to be members of the true Church. Let us remember that it is our vocation in life as Christians to transmit Christ’s Light through our living, radiating Jesus’ unconditional love, mercy, forgiveness, and humble service to all in our society.

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