Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Word of God

“Teach me your ways, O Lord.” In this week’s Scripture readings, we learn that one of the “ways” is repentance. The people of Nineveh certainly changed their ways when Jonah announced their destruction in 40 days! According to this story, God’s mind changed when their actions showed that they had turned from their evil ways. The change that we call repentance is also the change that we call conversion. The people of Nineveh turn from whatever separated them from God because the prophet Jonah announced the consequences of their evil ways.

Likewise in Mark’s Gospel, we hear some of the first recorded words in Jesus’ beginning ministry. “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Again, the way is one of repentance. It also requires that we leave everything behind that distracts us from making God the center of our lives or that presents an obstacle to our new mission to believe in and LIVE the gospel. Indifference (to injustice, suffering), silence and complicity, selfishness, neglect of our neighbor—none of these are part of the new way, the new path. Followers of Jesus know that living a Christian life is a continuous process of discernment and formation. This weekend again, we have the opportunity to discern the path, the way that we are being called to live. What must we leave behind in order to continue our baptismal journey? What are some of the evil ways, the social sins that we need to repent of? What are some concrete things that we can do to show that we love God above all?

Together, we ask: “Teach us your ways, O Lord.” For this let us work and pray!