Slow Down and Listen

" Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. "

First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you." So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD'S bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed, when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

Resp. Psalm: Psalms 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: 1 Cor. 7:29-31

I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." 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.

  Reflection:

by Fely Santiago

 Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.

Have you listened to God? In your prayer time do you hear Him when He speaks to you? Do you follow what He says or you just ignore, insisting on your own will? Or do you ever have a prayer time? Everyday you could just be caught up with the “busyness” of life!

This week, Jesus invites us to follow Him, as friends and disciples. He invites us to follow so we can also invite others to follow Him. This is a good week for us to contemplate with Jesus. What is His mission for us? What does Jesus wants you to do?  What’s your purpose? How much do you want to turn and follow Him? The disciples immediately responded to His call. They immediately left their nets and followed Him. How about you? What is stopping you to follow the call of Jesus?

If we don’t listen and are not doing the mission that Jesus has for us, we could feel emptiness in our life. We could be so busy doing all things, waking up each morning with so many things in our  “to do” list. And at the end of each day, we are still left with so many things undone and we feel we have not done anything. It could be a sign that we need to slow down and listen to the voice of God.

We can pray to Jesus for the strength to leave the patterns and habits of our lives that so often turn us away from Him. And ask for the grace to make a new beginning. If we can sit with our hands open in humility, we can accept that we can't do this on our own. But know in our hearts that with the help of God, nothing is impossible.

Again, let’s start the year listening to God more often. Slowing down so we can hear what God wants us to do. And only then can we find true peace and joy if we respond to God’s call immediately. And this could just simply be a call to pray everyday!

 Prayer

Lord Jesus, let me not delay to answer Your call. Give me the wisdom and strength to follow where You want me to go. Because it is only in following You that we find true peace and true joy amidst all the turmoil and adversities in this life. I know Lord that You are just a prayer a way. Let me start each day with a prayer so I can hear You. In Your name with the Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.