Repent and believe!

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Mark 1, 14-20 January 24, 2021 The language of Today’s Gospel is packed with meaning. In just a few verses, Mark summarizes the ministry and preaching of Jesus and the call and response of the first disciples. Mark is the shortest of all the Gospels so he doesn’t waste his words he gets right to the point. In the first part Mark summarizes Jesus’ message: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” And he says, now is the time! We can’t put Jesus off any longer the Kingdom is at hand. Let’s go! This phrase is the same phrase that we use when we receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday, which believe it or not is only three weeks away. “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” When we think of repent we think of someone who is doing something wrong. They admit that it is wrong and they make a change. Repentance begins with sorrow. The government thought that it knew how to get us through this pandemic, they didn’t. They admit that they were wrong and they take us on a new path. The person who is an alcoholic repents. He or she admits that their life has become unmanageable and they quit drinking. That is part of the idea but only the beginning. To repent means much more than just being sorry for one’s sins. It also means a change of heart. For Jesus the word repent literally means to turn around 180 degrees. If you are going north, you start going south. If you were heading east you start to go west. To repent for Jesus means to turn fully towards him. It means to reorient one’s whole attitude toward God’s kingdom. It is a demand of faith. So repentance is not just for those who have sinned. Everyone has to turn more fully to Jesus. Repentance is a radical call. It is not just some Sunday dressing that makes things look good; no repentance is to be focused upon Jesus. Anything that doesn’t lead us to Jesus must be changed. Anything that separates us from Jesus must be done away. The second part obviously flows from the first part. We don’t just repent of doing wrong we begin to do good. We turn from sin and we turn to Jesus. Believe in the Gospel! What does it mean to believe in the Gospel? It isn’t about believing in some precept of the faith. It is simply accepting some Church teaching. No, the Gospel is the entirety of Jesus’ message. In fact it is Jesus. To believe in the Gospel means to believe in Jesus his message and his life. In means accepting Jesus’ life, death upon the cross and ultimately his resurrection. When is it time to repent? When is it time to believe in Jesus? Right now: Tomorrow is too late, next week won’t do, right now! Upon hearing the message of Jesus the call is to immediately begin following Jesus. In the second part of the Gospel we have the response of the first disciples. The immediately began to follow Jesus. Jesus called Simon and Andrew, it says they abandoned their nets, their profession, everything and began to follow Jesus. He then called James and John. They too abandoned their nets, even their father and began to follow Jesus. Fortunately for us following Jesus doesn’t usually mean that we have to leave our families. Rather like the brothers Simon and Andrew, James and John we follow Jesus within our families. Our families in fact are the ones many times that help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. To repent and believe in the Gospel.