3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time / A 23/01/2011
Matthew 4, 12-23 (p. 447)
At the beginning of Lent the Gospel of Matthew presents the beginning of the preaching of the Lord. The contents of this preaching is neither new nor original. Jesus takes the call for the conversion of John the Baptist and in so doing he confirmed in his capacity as a prophet sent by God to prepare the New Covenant: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand". Cons by Matthew strongly emphasizes the choice of venue made by Jesus in order to begin his public ministry: the Galilee, the crossroads of the pagans. Jesus spent thirty years of his hidden life in Nazareth, so in the province of Galilee in northern Israel border province with pagan territories. It goes south to be baptized by John in the Jordan River and, after the episode of abode in the desert, heading up north. This choice is surprising. One would have thought Jesus begins his preaching in Judea, the religious center of the country, and even Jerusalem, holy city because of the Temple and sacrifices. No, the Lord forsakes such prestigious venues for every Jew and settled in Galilee, distant province and despised because attuned to the bad influences of people unclean, pagan peoples. We see, Jesus is a faithful and practicing Jew, but he does not leave locked up in the religious pride of his people. From the beginning of his mission he says he comes to all, and primarily for those who are despised by the religious elite of Jerusalem. He made the city of Capernaum on the shores of Lake Galilee, its rear base. Jerusalem will be the term its mission and not the starting point. Jesus from the outside of Judaism to go As the three years of his preaching to the center, Jerusalem, where he will give his life for us.
With this in Galilee at the beginning he wants to join the men, calling disciples. We know the story of the appeal of the first four disciples. But we should perhaps surprise us once again of the original selection of Jesus. These men are neither priests nor the doctors of the law or the Pharisees. They are not part of the religious elite of Israel. Today it looks like they are mere laymen, believers certainly not perfect, members of God's people. This choice reflects the way Jesus to make God who exalts the simple people and the lowly. These men are fishermen. Was it a good social situation in Galilee at the time of Jesus? I do not know. Peter was perhaps a master fisherman. In any case their activity seems to have a family character. What is certain is that these men, once again, are simple people belonging to a modest and popular. Well it is they who are called to become fishers of men in Following Jesus. Their immediate and generous response to this call affects us. Founder of this episode in the preaching of the Gospel we also hold an important lesson for the life of our church today. Jesus, Son of God while he was, would not begin its mission of evangelization itself. He wanted to join four men weak and without special training. Their good will and generous enough to him. When our church wants to bring the Gospel to the people of our time she does with all its members. Vatican II taught that the laity were not there only to assist the priests in this mission. Because they are baptized and confirmed the laity with priests share the responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel. And the same Council was reminded that the proper place of the mission of the laity was the world, particularly the world of work and family. The first commitment of the faithful is therefore in their places of ordinary life. It is not in a synagogue that the disciples were called but their place of work, the lake. I do not know if you realize how many meetings you have with people very different throughout the year in your work, school, shops, family etc.. In all these places you may be witnesses of Christ and his Gospel, always by your actions and your attitude, so to speak when the opportunity presents itself. This initial commitment of the laity in the world does not exclude of course a commitment within the parish or Christian community. Whether in the parish or the world we must always keep the bottom of our hearts the flame missionary. The flame that we repeated every day that we have to share the Good News without fear of the Gospel. Must still show that we know all the opportunities to do that Providence puts in our road, and with the help of the Holy Spirit we can respond generously "yes" to this inner call of Christ our Lord.
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