January 26th, 2020. III Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A. Mt 4, 12-23
Pope Francis wants this third Sunday in Ordinary Time to be considered “Word of God Sunday”. It is an invitation to every follower of Jesus, so that the light of the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom of God, may be a message of joy and hope, and that it may be this Word that is at the centre of our lives.
Jesus, having learned of the arrest of John the Baptist, goes to Galilee, to a region with a significant presence of Gentiles. St. Matthew tells us that it was there that Jesus began his preaching. His first words are, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. And we will hear them on different occasions. He asks us for a change of attitude that often makes us uncomfortable. We are reluctant to leave our own comfort, our habits. We live better and more peacefully without taking into account what surrounds us. We resist being converted, leaving our “securities” and going after him with complete confidence. To be converted is to live the message of love, to make forgiveness normal, to give a hand to those who need it, and to bear witness with our lives to the good news of God’s love and salvation.
Jesus saw some fishermen and called them to follow him. The first disciples were challenged and excited. They were able to follow him in a radical way. And even in the midst of many difficulties, they live with him and learn the values of the Kingdom. It is no longer only Jesus who is the Light that illuminates. Jesus tells them that they are the light of the world and salt of the earth.
Do I consider myself a disciple of Jesus? Does my life serve to enlighten anyone?
Juan Ramon Gomez Pascual, cmf
