Ordinary 3

The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

_{Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 25; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20}

For the world in its present form is passing away…

Paul may have been writing in light of the second coming of Christ that he and early Christians believed was imminent; but does not the ominous phrase reflect how many of us feel about our present world reality?

Consider, for a decade there has been a pope through new encyclicals inviting us to reflect on the moral demands of caring for our environment, poverty, immigration and a new way of being church that he calls ‘synodality’ – a gathering, a walking together.

In that period, we have also had a recession and a pandemic. There are new geopolitical situations arising with China, Brexit, Iran, Taiwan, and the Abraham Accords. There are new wars in Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia, the Sudans, Ukraine, and Gaza; new social trends with the #MeToo Movement, populism, gender theory; and new scientific developments with gene editing, space probes, Higgs boson, and AI. Does any of this matter?

Yes, it does matter.

This is our world. It is a world that has caused many of us to feel weary, fearful, and hopeless. It seems like so much is collapsing in on us over which we have no control. The familiar has become unrecognizable. We are afraid. It is this fear that is the root of our reaching to the past to reclaim a perceived control, lashing out at each other, our categorizing and name-calling and divisions.

But as Christians, are we not to remind ourselves, that this is also the world in which God is present? It is therefore on our present situation, we are to reflect. God has not forsaken us. However, the world that many of us grew up in is passing away and it will never return. Have you ever considered that our moment in history since the 60’s is, instead of collapsing, entered the birth pains of a new era? Did not the people of the calamitous 14^th and 15^th centuries feel that same way as the future Renaissance was being birthed out of the violence and turmoil of the Reformation and Wars of Religion? For the world in its present form is passing away.

How are we Christians to live in this passing world?

As much as we may want to, we cannot run away. God does not dwell in past traditions and ways of thinking and acting. God is always moving forward as God did leading Israel through the Red Sea creating new paths ways, unforeseen and unimaginable. Nor can we withdraw within ourselves. God may call individuals like Samuel, Moses, and Mary; but God dwells within his people. As Christians, we are to embrace the world not run from it. We are to engage the world for the common good.

Paul told the Corinthian Christians who were filled with questions to “remain as you are”. Trust God. He offers advice on practical issues about marriage, virgins and widows, lawsuits and sexual immorality. His advice, given in the light of the Second Coming, is no less relevant today. Paul’s “remain as you are” is reflected in the Church’s prayer. Today we will pray,

Grant that all the faithful of the Church,looking into the signs of the times by the light of faith,may constantly devote themselvesto the serve of the Gospel.

Looking into the signs of the times by the light of faith. If we are to be a people of hope in chaotic and fearful times, we must learn to view our world and live in it through faith, our relationship with God in Jesus Christ. To constantly devote ourselves to the serve of the Gospel is an act of trust. Yes, we must engage our world and its issues as Popes from John XXIII down to Francis encourage us, but what does that mean in practical terms? Our prayer continues,

Keep us attentive to the needs of all [people] that, sharing their grief and pain, their joy and hope,we may faithfully bring them the good news of salvationand go forward with them along the way of your kingdom. [Eucharistic Prayer for Use in Masses for Various Needs III]

We are to be attentive to people who are grieving and in pain. Recall the parable of the Good Samaritan. We are to be present with people who are rejoicing and filled with hope. Recall Mary running in haste to her pregnant cousin, Elizabeth. We need to put aside our judgments and cynicism and live compassion and hope.

To piggyback on Paul, if you are married, live out your love for your spouse with passion and fidelity. If you are single, whether looking for a partner or not, live out your singularity with enthusiasm and freedom for others. Parents stop taxing your children everywhere, rather play, converse and be present to them.

Notice the homeless person on the street. Look at them and don’t avert your eyes. If you are grieving, share your grief. If you are experiencing a joy share it. Don’t be afraid to mention the dead to someone who is grieving. Grief is multiplied within people who are mourning if they believe their dead are not remembered.

Students be diligent in study. Celebrate commitment in the lives of couples, gay and straight. Sit with those who feel lonely and depressed. Don’t try and fix anyone. You can’t. Simply be with people. Learn to be comfortable with silence.

Children play and be a child. Adults play and be a child of God. We are more fully human when we are at play. In the midst of play, people relax, became themselves and connect without even trying. Walk with Jews and Palestinians. Speak up when someone is experiencing ridicule, bigotry or hatred. Celebrate the birth of a child and not be concerned whether the couple is married. Accept people as they present themselves to you and don’t second guess who people are.

Share people’s griefs and pains, joys and hopes. Be yourself, “remain as you are” and go forward with whomever crosses your path along the way of God’s kingdom. That walking and accepting of other people is the good news of salvation, which makes people whole. In turn, be humble to accept someone walking with you in your griefs and pains, hopes and joys.

If we engage people around us, we will offer to each other the hope our world needs. And the passing of this present world? We won’t notice its passing. Engaged in walking the path along the way of God’s Kingdom with each other, we will one day look up and see a new world through the eyes of Jesus Christ.