Set Out

Set Out

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 

The word of the LORD came to Jonah, saying: "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. Jonah 3:1-3A

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." Mark 1:14-17

Piety

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out. 1 Corinthians 7:29

Study

Whatever happened to Zebedee's business?  He was a fisherman in Galilee.  He and his wife Salome had two sons -- James and John. Before they became disciples of Jesus, they worked on their father's fishing boat.   Zebedee probably had some wealth because he also had some hired men. But, after he gave up his sons for their pupil-ship to Jesus, we never hear anything more about him. 

Zebedee must have been puzzled watching James and John walk away from their livelihood.   At some point, he would have expected one of his sons to take over the fishing business and the net repair.  However, the disciples' response is motivated only by Jesus' invitation, an element that emphasizes his magnetic power over some to attract them to this ministry. They change their profession and walk away from their nets. The time of fulfillment was at hand.

James, John, and Jonah all were called and sent out on missions as Apostles to the Lord. Jonah had to head to Nineveh and deliver a pretty dire warning of the change. James, John, Simon Peter and the others stayed in and around Galilee until after the Assumption before "setting out" throughout the Mediterranean region to Rome, Egypt, Compostela, Corinth, Ephesus, Turkey and elsewhere.

Everyone who followed the Lord in either the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament embarked upon a path of change.  Today's message is NOT about the end of the world.  It's about what we do BEFORE the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Action

Are you willing to leave your modern-day nets?  Maybe that is your computer, your car or your boats and take up a different mission.

The lessons that James and John learned fishing applied to their new profession as fishers of men.

• Fish at the right time. Talk to Jesus about a friend before talking to a friend about Jesus.
• Put in the effort. Cursillo Weekends do not fill up themselves.
• Go the extra mile.  While there indeed are members of the choir and the Knights of Columbus who will have a great experience on a Cursillo Weekend, we also have to fish outside the bowl and reach out for folks who are not involved in other ministries.

Let these be lessons to us, too.  Keep your hooks sharp and your nets in good repair. You never know when it will be time to set out on a new adventure.