Texts taken from the “Sulla Tua Parola” Daily Missal January-February 2024

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
3rd week psalter

FIRST READING

From the Book of the Prophet Jonah (Jon 3:1-5, 10)
The word of the Lord came to Jonah: “Get up, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to them what I tell you.” Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three-day journey across. Jonah began his journey through the city for one day, and he proclaimed: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” The people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out. – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the First Reading

Nineveh was a pagan city, but God does not belong to one people alone: the fate of all human beings concerns him because he is the Father of all people on earth. After the coming of Christ, this universality would become clear to everyone; in this passage from the prophet Jonah, we see a kind of dress rehearsal for what would later come to pass. And the response of the pagan people is extraordinary: they believe the prophet, they convert, they come to know the true God. Certainly, there was a serious warning (“Nineveh shall be destroyed”), and one might comment that the inhabitants of Nineveh converted out of self-interest, but it is still acceptable. There are many ways to reach God. Ultimately, the “threat” of destruction can also apply today, if by this word we mean the ruin of one’s soul. “If you do not convert, you will be lost forever” is still a truth. Sometimes a strong warning can serve to shake us and awaken us to true faith. Then the rest will come as well: the true knowledge of love. This would also be Christ’s message in his first preaching: “Repent and believe!”

SECOND READING

From the First Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 7:29-31)
I tell you, brothers and sisters: the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them; those weeping as not weeping; those rejoicing as not rejoicing; those buying as not owning; and those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away! – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the Second Reading

The world is defined as “form.” What does this word mean? The likeness of something is not the thing itself; the soccer player sticker in an album is not the soccer player in person, but something that recalls and evokes him. In the same way, this world seems not to have substance of its own; in fact, it does not, since this earthly reality will end and one day the world will no longer exist. The Apostle Paul therefore urges us to see everything as a reference, as an evocative sign of something else, as something temporary and not definitive. The world is always something penultimate, not ultimate. The true reality is the risen Christ, his glorified body, life in him. And life in him is eternal. This world, then, serves to root us in Christ. We will remain here only for the years of our lives; therefore, if we become too attached to passing realities, we will end up remaining outside eternal life, clinging ourselves to the things that pass away. It is not worth it. “For those who believe, everything is a sign,” said Blessed Benedetta Bianchi Porro. And, when you think about it, it is absolutely true.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:14-20)
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.” As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him. – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the Day

In the first reading, we heard Jonah’s preaching, similar to that of the Lord Jesus: “Repent and believe!” Jonah spoke to the people in general, whereas the Lord addressed individuals, calling them one by one. He entered synagogues and homes, stopped along the shores of the lake, and said that in order to live the newness of being children of God in the Father’s love, it was necessary to change one’s mindset and way of thinking. The Law was good, but it had to be lived differently: no longer as mere observance, but as a life of love, because God is love. This demand is so all-encompassing and total that some felt called to change not only their mentality, but also their way of life: no longer fishermen, merchants, citizens devoted to work and family, but people completely uprooted from their habits in order to follow the gust of the new holy wind: to become disciples and apostles, with no other interest than the Gospel. Becoming involved in the life of the Gospel does not mean losing one’s life, but finding it. Today, we are all called. Some will leave their families, others will remain with them, but life will be renewed for everyone in God’s love and in a life spent for their brothers and sisters.