First reading Jonah 3:1-5,10
The people of Nineveh renounce their evil behaviour
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least.
God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.
Responsorial Psalm 24(25):4-6,7b-9
R. (4a) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
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.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, 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.
Second reading 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
The world as we know it is passing away
Brothers: our time is growing short. Those who have wives should live as though they had none, and those who mourn should live as though they had nothing to mourn for; those who are enjoying life should live as though there were nothing to laugh about; those whose life is buying things should live as though they had nothing of their own; and those who have to deal with the world should not become engrossed in it. I say this because the world as we know it is passing away.
Gospel Mark 1:14-20
I will make you into fishers of men
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’
As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.
____________________________
Jesus, the Word of God
By the Sea of Galilee, Peter, Andrew, James and John experienced Jesus walking right into their lives, meeting them where they were in life, and speaking words that gave them true direction and new purpose. Similarly, we experience Jesus coming to meet us where we are in life as He is present to us in and through the Word of God. As we read the Scripture prayerfully, it is Jesus who speaks to us. Listening to Him attentively, His Word touches us deeply because He does not speak about abstract matters. Rather, He speaks right into the situations of our lives. For He is not a faraway God, but He, the Word made flesh is close to us.
As we celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God today, let us remember the moments when His Word brings peace and consolation to our hearts or when His Word shakes and rouses us to love more in life. Above all, we give thanks when, through His Word, we come to encounter the Person of Jesus, real and alive, walking to us and calling us to follow Him.
Reflective question:
How do I encounter Jesus, the Word of God, today?
How do I encounter Jesus, the Word of God, today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Monika Punan FMVD.
