These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
(Mk 1:14-20)
Jesus never fails to interrupt our daily lives! And when the Lord calls, what else can we do, but drop everything and follow him!
Jesus came with his disciples into the house.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
(Mk 3:20-21)
When your family thinks you’ve lost it, you know you’re in trouble. But Jesus didn’t get discouraged, he didn’t give up. Now, Jesus invites us to be his sisters and brothers. Our family is huge!
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. Kindness and truth shall meet.
Show us, O LORD, your mercy,
and grant us your salvation.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Kindness and truth shall meet.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Kindness and truth shall meet.
(Psalm 85)
After all that we have been through in these troubled times, we need to hear a word of kindness and truth, a word of justice and peace, and the hope of God’s glory dwelling in our land.
Responsorial Psalm
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
(Psalm 40)
To do God’s will is our delight—is the lesson that the saints try to teach us. Saint Agnes is one of many young women who were martyred during the early persecutions. Their bravery in the face of torture and death is still remembered and celebrated.
Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
(Mk 3:1-6)
Today is Inauguration Day. Last night for the first time during this pandemic, there was a memorial service on the Mall in Washington for the 400,000 from the United States who have died from coronavirus. The service was lead by the president-elect, Joe Biden, and the vice-president-elect Kamala Harris, and the new archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Wilton Gregory. Joe Biden said, "To heal we must remember." Today we pray for the new president and the new vice-president. May God bless them in their new positions of service to the country. And may God bring an end to the pandemic and heal the wounds of the country!
