The Road to Conversion

    

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

21 January 2024

 

First Reading: Jon 3:1-5, 10

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: 1 Cor 7:29-31

Gospel: Mk 1:14-20

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo Gonzales

 

Today’s Gospel cues us into the spectacle of conversion. Conversion is comparable to the ‘toss and turn’ we run through as we try to sleep and go in search for the spot that gives us the greatest comfort; do we sleep on one side? On our bellies? On our backs? The shuffling on bed we experience gives us that: the chance of finding which position is most comfortable. While conversion involves quite a longstanding series of toss and turn… of trial and error, in the story of conversion, comfort is where we depart, as the road to conversion is anything but comfortable.

John the Baptist is associated strongly to conversion. As he earnestly called people into repentance, he was labeled rather harshly. His zeal for service among other things that would have him living so austerely such as going from place to place homeless, wearing camel hair over his body, and feeding on locusts and wild honey would brand him upon others a madman; but all this would only bring more attention to his untamed fire for evangelization.

 

Special was John’s relation to the Lord that the Lord would find Himself weeping strongly upon his later execution; but the Lord we see in today’s Gospel did not steer away from service, despite John being delivered up to his captors. Jesus went on to continue His mission, proclaiming to people the Good News of salvation.

In mission, Jesus would find two of His early apostles – Simon who would be called Peter, and his brother Andrew, who would believe in His Messianic Identity. The brothers were casting their nets into the sea, only to be told they would be fishing for much bigger catch – people themselves. If only they knew how much more baffling it would be to perfect the self, let alone to lead others to a life that is spiritually spotless, their ‘yeses’ could have been a more difficult give; but it remains – people are in for some spiritual reeling.

Here, the amazing display we could emulate is how instant Simon and Andrew were to follow the Lord. While not all instant things are good and at times being instant could mean the lack of preparation or thoroughness, Simon and Andrew’s instant ‘yes’ in this case signifies the abandonment of self in the Face of One with Whom they can place their trust in confidence and childlike innocence.

The road to conversion is not always to be spoken of in third person as written accounts of conversion would have us think instantaneously. it is not for the people only – those outside us – to undertake. In the First Reading, in the story of Jonah, it was revealed: the prophets themselves (as are we) may be just in equal need of conversion, if not greater.

In more expounded accounts, Jonah would be shown to be rather obstinate. God would tell Jonah to call Nineveh to repentance, and Jonah, repeatedly, would turn away from the Lord, going into a place he thought he would not be found. He was angry with God for giving importance to Nineveh enough for him to be instructed to deliver God’s message there personally, and so because God was patient with the Ninevites and gave them considerable leeway to correct themselves. These were grating for Jonah to see; but the Lord would later lovingly reply: “is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4) “Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left? […]” (Jonah 4:11) The Lord would send a big leaf to grow over Jonah’s head, sheltering him from the sweltering heat (Jonah 4:6) – all this love for the dissenting and angry Jonah.

Does this story remind us of anyone familiar? I am welling up with droplets as I am writing this. This show of complicated feelings represents us all. The road to conversion is not at all easy and as others are called to it, so are we. Conversion does not mean perfect – as a standard that impeccable would have everyone falling short; it points instead to the unyielding zest to lay down our arms, to relinquish all defense, to turn back to the Lord with contrite hearts over and over, seventy times seven, the only perfect thing here being God’s love… God’s patience… God’s mercy.

On the road to repentance, does it matter if we start perfectly? Not so. For in the eyes of heaven, who is the son obedient to his father’s request? The son who has said “no” but had a later change of heart and went to follow his father’s wishes, or the son who said “yes” but later recanted his decision? The hearers of the parable would say: “the first.” (Matthew 21:28-32)

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for Your being patient with us in our conversion.

Though we have hearts of stone, please help us gain hearts of flesh and please send within us Your Spirit to help us live in Your statutes. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

Though our sins be like scarlet, please make us white as snow; though our sins be like crimson, please make us white as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

In all these, please shower Your love upon us, to make our yokes easy and to make our burdens light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

These we ask in Jesus’ most holy Name, Amen.