FISHERS OF MEN.
THE GOODNEWS:
" Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying,
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent, and believe in the gospel."
And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them,
"Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men."
And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.
And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, AND they left their father Zebedee in the boat and followed him.
(Mak 1: 14 - 20).
In the Gospel of today, the very first word Jesus uttered in the mission field of Galilee is very important and significant:
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
"The time of fulfillment" or the fullness of time will be sure to catch the attention of any religious Jew. This is why. Every prophecy comes to birth in the fullness of time.
Does the proclamation of Jesus in today's Gospel has the same urgency for us now as the audience of Jesus in the first century AD? Absolutely sure.
In the Letter to the Hebrews, we read: "Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart."
In the fullness of time, Jesus came to Galilee and called four of His first disciples. They heard the Call and left everything and followed Jesus at once. Because it is the fullness of time.
The Church honors the Most Holy Name of Jesus in January.
“To holy people the very name of Jesus is a name to feed upon, a name to transport. His name can raise the dead and transfigure and beautify the living.”
(St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
For the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and prayer intentions click the link below:
