Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 4:12-23) “Come Follow Me”

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 4:12-23) “Come Follow Me”

        One of the shortest Gospel stories is shared in the Gospel of Mark (3:20-21).  The relatives come to find Jesus as he is beginning his ministry.  Jesus is having great success.  He says things that people haven’t heard before.  He heals those who are wounded in body, mind and spirit.  Crowds of people have come to see the new prophet in town.  But then Jesus’ family comes to take him away because they are worried about the disruption he is causing in the community.  And they say, “He is out of his mind.”  Whenever someone challenges accepted beliefs, it is a threat. 

        If Jesus’ family was worried about his welfare, we can imagine what the families of the apostles thought when Jesus came to the Sea of Galilee to recruit them to be his followers.  We assume that the fishermen were involved in back breaking work.  To make a living as a fisherman a person had to sail out on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the night.  Finding fish was a challenge.  Hauling the fish into the boat was back breaking work.  Keeping the nets repaired was a constant task.  Some days were good days.  Other days weren’t. 

But if we study the fishing industry at the time Jesus lived, we find that it was a lucrative business.  Fish were a staple in people’s diets.  The fish wouldn’t only be sold on shore, but they could be dried or pickled.  After that they could be shipped to more populated places.  The demand was great.  The fishermen that Jesus recruited had a lucrative business.  Peter, Andrew, James and John probably had others working for them.  For them to drop their nets to follow Jesus around the countryside to minister to others must have seemed like madness.  Why did they do it?

        We could surmise that they weren’t satisfied with the lives they lived.  Yes, they had a purpose in life, but they wanted a higher purpose.  Jesus challenged them to act on their dreams.  He asked them to think about why they were given life to begin with.  Do we believe our lives are important?

        On this weekend when we remember that the church stands for respecting life, we might reflect on a fundamental moral principal, which is, that all persons are endowed with human dignity.  Human lives have value, but sometimes it seems like our world has forgotten that.  We can think of example after example which remind us that humanity has forgotten that every life is a treasure.

        A couple of examples illustrate this point.  In 2016, Canada passed what was called the MAID Act.  MAID stands for Medical Assistance In Dying.  When the law was passed it was said that patients should not experience unbearable suffering.  The original law said a physician could euthanize someone if natural death is imminent.  In 2021, the requirement for death to be in the foreseeable future for the sick person to end their life was dropped.  Now, anyone who is over 18 can choose to be euthanized if they feel they are struggling with unbearable suffering.  One case recently involved a man who was struggling with mental illness.  He was hospitalized.  When he was released, he asked to be euthanized.  His family said that his medications weren’t monitored correctly, but he was allowed to end his life. The use of this law is on the rise.  In the beginning it was probably thought that this wouldn’t be the case. 

        Another set of laws that may devalue human life are now being passed.  The laws concern human composting.  A law was recently passed in California.  Bodies are broken down into soil which is given to relatives to use in their gardens.  Or to be spread in other places.  Once it was said that we can tell how a society values the living by how it treats its dead.  The dead are now viewed as harmful to the environment.  The memories of the dead are being erased because cemeteries are wasted space. Bodies are seen as pollution.  The comfort of going to visit the grave of a person we love, resting beside one’s family and friends in death, is seen as a waste.  Christian teaching doesn’t require that someone be embalmed or that a person’s body be kept in a vault, but Christian teaching says that a person should have a grave.  For that reason, soldiers who die in combat are brought home at all costs to be buried with honors.  We hold that military families deserve that.  Doesn’t everyone?

        Jesus called the apostles to follow him.  He invited others to respect the gift of life.  He asked, “what do you want to be remembered for?”  He showed his disciples the value of a life well lived.  He challenges us to love our life, the life of others, to want to be remembered, to treasure the memories of the dead.  Jesus said “choose an abundant life.”  If we are considered crazy by the world for having the same ideas, we are one with the Lord who stood at the grave of Lazarus, his friend, who died and whose memory he cherished.

Reflection Questions:

1.  How do I want to be remembered?  What is the higher purpose of my life?

2.  Where do I want to be buried?  Is the body sacred?

Dear Parishioners,

        This is Catholic Schools week.  Seton School students will be with us at the 11 a.m. Mass this week to help lead our worship.  Throughout the week there will be activities that will commemorate the importance of Catholic Schools.  To take part in activities please visit the Seton or Alleman WEB pages.

        It was once said that the most generous thing that the Catholic Church has ever done in the United States was to begin, maintain and support the Catholic Schools.  The question is whether we can continue this important ministry of the church.  The main problems are always the same enrollment and expense. 

        Is it better for our community if the Catholic Schools are not around?  Some might believe this.  But the parochial school system offers an alternative for students.  This is a healthy thing.  Education is not one size fits all.  I have attended both public and Catholic colleges, graduate schools and universities.  I benefited from experiencing both.  I would say that in the end a Catholic education was where I felt more at home and learned the most. 

        I would encourage parishioners to continue to support Seton School and Alleman High School with donations and by encouraging young parents to explore this option for their children.  There is a lot of scholarship money available.  Just contact our school administrators to find out more.  The young are the future of our church.  We need to give them the gift of a Catholic School Education.

        May Mother Seton, Fr. Alleman and all the saints watch over our Catholic schools.

        Fr. Mark

         

 

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