3rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

Sunday, January 21, 2024
Mark 1:14-20

“After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'”
(Mark 1:14-15)

With the exit of John the Baptist, Jesus begins his public ministry: announcing the “Good News” that brings joy. It is good news of God, from God, in which God is the architect. In short, it is not news of this world, of humans, nor is it manufactured by humans: it comes from above! A new mentality is about to be established, that of the kingdom of God, which will prove to go against the current of this world. It is good news for man and for all men. And it begins like this:

The time (kairos, not chronological time but a qualitatively different moment, an opportunity) is fulfilled, literally “is full.” This verb appears in Mark here and shortly before the Passion, when Jesus is arrested and says, “Every day I was teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled” (14:49); and the kingdom of God is near, at the doors.

Repent: a present imperative denoting a continuous action over time and not a one-time event. The original Greek of the verb is metanoite, which etymologically alludes to a change of mind, of thought, to a change of perspective, combined with a sense of repentance. It is a call to let ourselves be visited by wonder: we no longer have to think about how to reach God because He is coming to us. What remains for us to do is an effort to be more authentic: to recognize that without Him, our works are dead, and that sin gives us no joy and no satisfaction (perhaps it deceives a little in the immediate…). The time of mercy has come for the entire duration of our lives!

…and believe: this too is a present imperative: continue to believe… a belief that is trust in the Good News and in Him who proclaims it, who is Himself the Gospel.

Let us therefore accept Jesus’ invitation to renew our trust in Him and in His Word!

Fr. Giuseppe