They Abandoned Their Nets

January 11, 2010

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Her rival, to upset her, turned it into a constant reproach to her that the LORD had left her barren. This went on year after year; each time they made their pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the LORD, Peninnah would approach her, and Hannah would weep and refuse to eat. Her husband Elkanah used to ask her: "Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat? Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than ten sons?" 1 Samuel 1:6-8

Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. Mark 1:17-18

Piety

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Study

The first day in Ordinary Time for the year is kind of like celebrating a new year all over again. As we do so, our first reading takes us back to the beginning of the history of the rise of David – the tree from which the messiah will come.

The Introductory Notes in the NAB about the historical books of the Bible teach us that Samuel to Maccabees demonstrate that Israel was a covenanted people, bound to Yahweh, Lord of the universe, by the ties of faith and obedience. "This required observance of the law and worship in his temple, the consequent rewards of which were divine favor and protection. In this way these books anticipate and prepare for the coming of him who would bring type and prophecy to fulfillment, history to term, and holiness to perfection: Christ, the Son of David and the promised Messiah."

The Lord uses normal people (bigamous by our standards, not theirs) but normal in every right to tell us this history. So, as the story unfolds, we visit the plight of two woman, women. Although their marriage to Elkanah bind them together, their fertility and how they interact because of these differences draws them apart into depression and discord.

We do not see the kind of relationship encountered a few weeks ago with the Advent visit of Mary to her cousin Martha. Instead, we are looking in on bitter rivals who cope with their plight in different ways. Rather than sharing her blessing with the other woman, Peninnah uses her fertility and offspring to inflict grief on Hannah.

So, as they live a life of obedience to the covenant with God and make the annual trek on pilgrimage and to offer sacrifice to God, their treatment of each other makes the piety seem fairly shallow on the part of Peninnah. She was not willing to abandon her nets.

How different a picture of commitment and piety we get in Mark’s Gospel. Where Luke and Matthew spend considerable time developing the linage and Incarnation story, Mark gets right to the point. The Incarnation happened so that the Invitation could once again be issued. So by verse 15 of chapter one, Jesus is already picking up the message right where John the Baptist left off. "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

Matthew at this point is still connecting the dots between salvation history and the messiah. Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah. Matthew 1:15-16

So when that first invitation is issued, there has been very little prelude leading up to this point in the story. Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. Mark 1:18

What? Why? Didn’t Simon and Andrew go home and consult with their families about a career change? Didn’t they draw up a list of pros and cons between being fishermen and following Jesus? Didn’t they consider how much better (and possibly longer) their life would be as small business owners, rather than following an itinerant preacher from Nazareth?

Penninah had the whole of salvation history and tradition yet still treated Hannah with disrespect. Simon and Andrew had all of ten minutes before they abandoned their nets and followed the Lord. Let’s find our why they did this as we explore the readings of this new ordinary year.

Action

We get invitations every day. Why just today I got four e-mails inviting me to buy cheap medicine on the internet. My mailbox is stuffed every week with catalogs inviting me to part with my money for this sharp looking merchandise. My television is jammed with pictures of resorts and restaurants, promises from stores and studios and more all wanting to claim to make my life better than ever. But I do not take (most of) them up on the offers.

Colleges recruited me. But I passed on Providence, Ohio State, Rutgers and others. The military tested and tempted me but I passed on the Navy, Officer Candidate School and Submariner School. Even my parish priest/youth minister recruited me but I followed my own path, not his. I was not willing to abandon my nets to their causes.

What invitation will you accept this year? What will get you to abandon your nets? Perhaps the Christmas letter from Fr, Bob McCahill that was printed in a recent issue of the National Catholic Reporter might echo with us throughout this year in our action.

As we consider how we would respond to the Invitation posed at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, McCahill, a Maryknoll missionary in Bangladesh, suggest that you “Just ask yourself: How can I be useful to the poor?”

http://ncronline.org/news/global/just-ask-yourself-how-can-i-be-useful-poor