Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. -Year B - Sunday, 21 January 2024 (EPISODE:459 )

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. -Year B -  Sunday, 21 January 2024
(EPISODE:459 )

Readings for Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.- Year B
FIRST READING: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9. "Teach me your ways, O Lord."
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Mark 1:15). Alleluia, alleluia! The Kingdom of God is near. Believe the Good News.
GOSPEL: Mark 1:14-20

Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 109226108 - ISRAEL - CIRCA 2010: An old used Israeli postage stamp of the series "Bible Stories", with inscription: "Jonah and the Fish"; series, circa 2010 - Important information. Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor: Arkady Mazor

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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, 21 January 2024 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-the-third-sunday-of-ordinary-time-year-b-episode-459/s-Wtv9Yf7TsyQ  
(EPISODE:459 )
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GOSPEL THIS WEEKEND
 Our first reading this weekend is from the wonderful Book of Jonah. This delightful and very short book of the bible is well worth reading in its entirety. [Have a look here: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/books/a-plus/OT-excerpt-book-of-jonah.pdf].

We only get a small but delicious taste of the book of Jonah in today's reading.  Before this, God told Jonah to go and preach repentance to the people of the great city of Nineveh. But Jonah hates the people there, and he does not want to go and preach repentance; because they are his enemies, he is worried they might turn and repent and be saved; Jonah didn't want that. 

Jonah seems happy to have everything just the way it always was. That is, with Jonah and his people's good books and people like the Ninevites marked for destruction in God's bad books. It is all very well complaining about how bad people are who don't agree with us or do the wrong thing by us, but what if our enemies were to see the error of their ways and change? They would become no longer enemies but allies, requiring a whole new way of thinking, relating and acting. It's all too much!! At least when someone is in the category of "the enemy," we have them carefully labelled, and we know where they stand. Repentance means a whole new situation.

So, Jonah runs away in the opposite direction. But we all know that you cannot run away from God. God pursues him and continues to call on him to deliver God's message of love and God's heartfelt invitation to repent.  

Jonah does not have a vested interest in them, but God does. God created the Ninevites, as much as God created Jonah. God loves them and cares for them and wants them to turn away from sin and be saved. 

Jonah, (perhaps like us too), does not want change or surprise. We all bemoan the contrariness of a rival or an enemy, but do we really desire that they change their ways? Because this means new ways of relating to them as well.

 

The slow but sure emerging of the Kingdom of God MEANS change and transformation… and that is painful and challenging and at times very unsettling, because it means a re-ordering of values and changing of relationships. It means inviting "inside" those who were previously "outside" God's chosen ones. Also, possibly some will also find themselves "outside" who used to be "inside."  God has a way of turning things on their head. And for Jonah and the Ninevites, this is one of those great examples.

At times I wonder if we fully appreciate how truly different God's ways are to human's ways and thoughts, and what that means for us who are Disciples of Christ.
 
You could imagine the half-hearted, whispering "calling-out" of Jonah as the preaches "repent now or in forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!."   Only to find the people saying: "What was that you were whispering?  Repent or perish?  Oh, okay. We repent! We will change immediately. Thank you for this warning, we will truly heed it. Quickly everyone, proclaim fasting and penance!"  

Jonah was appalled and horrified. They have changed. They will be saved! They are now his friends (not his enemies). So Jonah goes off sulking and is mortally offended with God. But, isn't God right to care about his people???

Today's readings are all rather striking!

Each of them shows a response which is immediate and wonderful.
· Jonah preaches and The Ninevites surprisingly repent and change Immediately.
· Paul calls upon everyone to live in the immediate moment, for the day of the Lord is imminent.
· Jesus calls his disciples and they leave IMMEDIATELY!

Jesus' call is offering a whole new world, a new vision and a new set of relationships. The values of the gospel are revealed in their fullness.

If the disciples paused and thought about what they were doing, they could have dreamt up heaps of reasons why they shouldn't go…  their business, the risks, the insecurity, and so on….          But they did not let these things get in the way. Thank goodness, they responded to the call straight away.  This is not encouraging recklessness because surely Jesus called people after a lot of prayer and discernment, and he called disciples whom he had observed were already living in a way that showed their longing for the values of the Kingdom to be established in its fullness.
Along comes Jesus… and he says- "the time has arrived.  Come… follow me…."  (and they DO. IMMEDIATELY). (It is what they have been waiting for!).

In our lives, Jesus calls each one of us, in big and small ways - In the daily events and people of life. In our words, actions, and priorities, let us respond immediately and with trust.

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References:

 

Homily - Fr Paul W. Kelly

 

Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 109226108 - ISRAEL - CIRCA 2010: An old used Israeli postage stamp of the series "Bible Stories", with inscription: "Jonah and the Fish"; series, circa 2010. Important information. Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor: Arkady Mazor

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. - Year B-  (Sunday, 21 January 2024 )  (EPISODE: 459 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{Good wishes to you all.}} welcome everyone, we gather -  Silence, reflection, prayer and contemplation of our God. On this Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by recalling our sins and remembering Christ's greater mercy.
Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life: Lord, have mercy Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins: Christ, have mercy Lord Jesus, you feed us with your body and blood: Lord, have mercy
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9. "Teach me your ways, O Lord."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Mark 1:15). ). Alleluia, alleluia! The Kingdom of God is near. Believe the Good News.
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PREFACE: Ordinary 2
Eucharistic Prayer 1
(theme variation: theme 1 )

(post version: v1-short)

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{9. heartfelt thanks to you all ,for uniting in prayer and for reflection, upon God's overflowing goodness and care.}

1. Go forth; the Mass is ended.

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Archive of homilies and reflections:  http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email:  paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:

"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993). (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass in Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria,  Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

"Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - In memory of William John Kelly (1942-2017) - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

"Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly.  Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer.  Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: - Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser.

Editing equipment:    -- MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software v10.49 (NCH Software).

NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.63 (NCH Software)

Sound Processing:  iZotope RX 10 Audio Editor (Izotope Inc.)

[ Production -  KER -  2024]

May God bless and keep you.
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