January 24: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Posted by Campus Ministry on Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 8:00 AM PST
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“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.”
This is the message of Jesus at the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, the first words Jesus speaks in the Gospel. This is the message of Jesus that reverberates through the centuries to us today.
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.”
The urgency of Jesus’ proclamation captures my attention today. The time is now. God’s reign of justice, God’s promise of life, hope, joy, peace, of transformation, it is here, breaking into our world.
Jesus’ prophetic proclamation came in a world yearning for change, deeply seeking God’s deliverance and transforming power. It came as promise, and embodied reality. Jesus lived what he preached, and invited others into the same dedication to the kingdom. This is why folks left their livelihoods, their families, their lives behind, to follow and participate in the unfolding promise of God’s love.
Can we be disciples in the same way? Do we believe Jesus’ proclamation? Do we live as witnesses to this reality? Do we experience and proclaim the in-breaking love and kingdom of God in our world? Do we look at this world fully, wholeheartedly and see all the places that cry out for God’s presence? Do we, as the Body of Christ, draw near to those places most in need of God’s reign, committing to embodying the promise in every place?
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.”
This week is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and this year’s theme, “Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit”, taken from John 15, reminds us of Jesus’ invitation and promise: that through a deep rooting in God’s abundant love, much is possible.
Jesus appears on the scene in today’s Gospel soon after his own experience of being told he is beloved at his baptism. His mission, his passion for God’s kingdom, all his teaching, healing, liberating, inclusive, prophetic ministry, was rooted in this first knowledge of his own belovedness. Jesus knows that love bears much fruit in our world!
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.”
The love of God is not just a feel-good panacea, but rather a dynamic, energizing love, that invites us into ever-widening circles of compassion, and renewed commitment to God’s reign of justice and peace.
This Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, let us recommit as Christians to grounding ourselves in God’s love, and proclaiming that the kingdom of God is at hand with renewed energy and faith-filled action for justice and peace. Let it be in, among, and through us, that the world may know:
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.”
~ JoAnn Lopez, Campus Minister for Liturgy