Reflection of January 11, 2021 "A time to repent and believe"

11 January 2021
Monday of the first week of
readings of ordinary time

Jesus came to Galilee to proclaim the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the Gospel “. Mark 1: 14-15

We have now completed our seasons of Advent and Christmas and are beginning the liturgical season of "ordinary time". Ordinary time must be lived in our life in both ordinary and extraordinary ways.

First, we begin this liturgical season with an extraordinary call from God. In the Gospel passage above, Jesus begins His public ministry by proclaiming that "The Kingdom of God is near". But then he goes on to say that, as a result of the new presence of the Kingdom of God, we must "repent" and "believe".

It is important to understand that the Incarnation, which we celebrated especially in Advent and Christmas, changed the world forever. Now that God had united with human nature in the Person of Jesus Christ, the new Kingdom of God's grace and mercy was near. Our world and our life have changed because of what God has done. And when Jesus has begun his public ministry, he begins to inform us through his preaching of this new reality.

The public ministry of Jesus, as transmitted to us through the inspired Word of the Gospels, presents us with the very Person of God and the foundation of his new Kingdom of grace and mercy. It presents us with the extraordinary call of holiness of life and an unshakable and radical commitment to following Christ. Thus, when we begin ordinary time, it is good to remember our duty to immerse ourselves in the message of the Gospel and to respond to it without reservation.

But this call to an extraordinary lifestyle must eventually become ordinary. In other words, our radical call to follow Christ must become who we are. We need to see the "extraordinary" as our "ordinary" duty in life.

Reflect today on the beginning of this new liturgical season. Use it as an opportunity to remind yourself of the importance of daily study and devoted meditation on Jesus' public ministry and all that he taught. Put yourself back to a faithful reading of the gospel so that it becomes an ordinary part of your daily life.

My precious Jesus, I thank you for all that you have told and revealed to us through your public ministry. Strengthen me during this new liturgical time of ordinary time to dedicate myself to reading your holy Word so that everything you have taught us becomes an ordinary part of my daily life. Jesus I believe in you.