Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A - 22nd January 2023
Gospel Matthew 4: 12–23 (abbreviated)
Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations! The people that lived in darkness have seen a great light: on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned.
From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men and women.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him.
Gospel Reflection from St Beuno's Outreach
I come to prayer asking the Holy Spirit to help me surrender any resistance I carry. I take a few deep breaths, and slowly quieten my mind. God is the ground of my being. I remember that he really is close at hand.
I read Matthew’s narrative a couple of times, then use whatever form of prayer comes most naturally to me. I may draw on my imagination, and allow myself to enter the scene. Or I may focus on a particular phrase, savouring those words that catch my attention.
I turn to look at my own life. How do I experience Jesus’s invitation to help bring about God’s kingdom on earth? Perhaps the words ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand’ challenge my attitude and behaviour ...? Or perhaps they bring reassurance in the midst of a suffering world?
I ponder... and rest with Jesus.
I may dwell on Jesus’s call to his first disciples: ‘Follow me’. I notice how Jesus calls ordinary people like me into the intimacy of a shared life with him.
Can I hear that call in my own life?
I open my whole being to Christ, asking for whatever grace I need to help bring about Christ’s kingdom for all on earth.
Our Father ...
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