Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time,
January 22, 2012:

Jonah 3: 1-5, 10
Psalm 25: 4-9
1 Corinthians 7: 29-31
Mark 1: 14-20

What, didn't Jesus call these guys in LAST week's Gospel?! True, John's Gospel account last week, happening at an earlier time (before John the Baptist's arrest) describes some initial encounters with Jesus. The immediacy of the apostles' dropping everything in Mark's account makes more sense if we realize that this WASN'T  their first meeting with him. And to complicate matters further, the Gospels were not written as a history book, detailing in tight chronology exactly what happened when and where. The evangelists were concerned with telling the story of who Jesus was and what he did, and crafting the telling of that truth within a context that made sense to their audience.

We see here in the Gospel- as in the first reading for the people of Ninevah- an invitation that requires decisive action. Repent! Follow Me! (and Get Ready! for good measure in the second reading)  It brings a whole new level of meaning to the old phrase, "he who hesitates is lost", doesn't it?

• Is there some decision you've been delaying, some action you've been putting off?
• Why? What are the consequences of saying 'yes'? Of saying 'no' or 'later'?
• How or in what/who do you find confidence for significant decisions?

 The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is "Ecumenism" (We are in the midst of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity)
Mystagogia will meet this Sunday at 10:45am in the small chapel off the courtyard.
Inquiry is Tuesday evening, January 24.