Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Second Reading: First Corinthians 7: 29-31
Alleluia: Mark 1: 15
Gospel: Mark 1: 14-20
First Reading: Jonah 3: 1-5, 10
1 And the word of the Lord came to Jonas the second time, saying:
2 Arise, and go to Ninive the great city: and preach in it the preaching that I bid thee.
3 And Jonas arose, and went to Ninive, according to the word of the Lord: now Ninive was a great city of three days’ journey.
4 And Jonas began to enter into the city one day’s journey: and he cried, and said: Yet forty days, and Ninive shall be destroyed.
5 And the men of Ninive believed in God: and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least.
10 And God saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way: and God had mercy with regard to the evil which he had said that he would do to them, and he did it not.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (4a) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
4 Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause. shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.
5 Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour; and on thee have I waited all the day long.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
6 Remember, O Lord, thy bowels of compassion; and thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world.
7 The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember. According to thy mercy remember thou me: for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
8 The Lord is sweet and righteous: therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way.
9 He will guide the mild in judgment: he will teach the meek his ways.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Second Reading: First Corinthians 7: 29-31
29 This therefore I say, brethren; the time is short; it remaineth, that they also who have wives, be as if they had none;
30 And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
31 And they that use this world, as if they used it not: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
Alleluia: Mark 1: 15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
15 The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mark 1: 14-20
14 And after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying: The time is accomplished, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.
16 And passing by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea (for they were fishermen).
17 And Jesus said to them: Come after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18 And immediately leaving their nets, they followed him.
19 And going on from thence a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were mending their nets in the ship:
20 And forthwith he called them. And leaving their father Zebedee in the ship with his hired men, they followed him.
Reflection
God’s call is both urgent and merciful. Jonah announces judgment to Nineveh, yet the people believe God, turn from their evil ways, and discover that his mercy is greater than their failure. The psalm gives us the prayer that makes such conversion possible: “Teach me your ways, O Lord.” Repentance begins when we allow God to correct our path and trust his goodness more than our own excuses.
Jesus announces that the kingdom of God is at hand and joins repentance to faith in the Gospel. His call then becomes personal: Simon, Andrew, James, and John leave their nets and follow him immediately. Their response shows that discipleship requires a real reordering of life. The second reading adds that the world, in its present form, is passing away; our possessions, griefs, joys, and daily responsibilities cannot become our deepest identity. We may receive these things gratefully, while holding them freely for the sake of Christ. Today, the Lord’s invitation may come as a needed change of direction or a fresh act of trust. His mercy gives us the courage to answer.
Prayer
Lord our God, teach me your ways and guide me in your truth. Give me the humility to recognize what must change, the faith to believe your Gospel, and the courage to leave behind whatever keeps me from following Christ freely. Remember my sins with mercy, as you showed mercy to Nineveh, and make my heart ready for conversion. Help me use the blessings, duties, joys, and trials of this passing world without allowing them to possess me. When Jesus calls, grant me the grace to respond generously and become a faithful instrument of his kingdom. Amen.
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