WHAT IS YOUR MISSION?

January 22, 2012

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jon 3,1-5.10 . 1Cor 7,29-31

Mk 1,14-20

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The title speaks of itself. 

What is your mission? 

Why do you live and breathe? 

Why do you strive and work hard?

There may be many answers to these questions. Varying reasons and definitions. All may be correct for us, because these  are according to out perception.

But what - REALLY - is our mission?

Come, follow me! I will make you fishers of men.

Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, calls four of his apostles from the nets. Peter, John, James and Andrew were on a ordinary busy day preparing  nets for the fishing. Their mission is so simple, to catch fish for their consumption, and for the market-goers' welfare. Nothings's new, they are just doing their job.

But as Jesus calls them, their mission begins to drift to a deeper dimension. If before they are only contented to catching fish for their contentment, now they are to capture souls and lead them to the God of hope and strength. Before, money alone matters for these guys; now what's important is the Will of God to happen to man. They would do everything, to the point of offering their life, for the  sake of the Gospel. 

We may ask, So what's the kunek? We think that preaching and praying is only reserved for the people of higher rank, i.e. clergy and the churchpeople. They can draw us all to God by themselves. We may excuse ourselves, we may say.

But hello!

God is calling us! Despite our differences in the society, our attainments, strengths and weaknesses, God is calling us all. He cries out our name and invites us to come follow him. Nobody is exempted. Saint or sinner, we are nevertheless hailed to proclaim the Good News to everywhere. 

Should we fear of our discrepancies? No! There is nothing which could hinder us from fulfilling our Christian mission of proclaiming the Good News. Rather, we should fear of the time wasted for our earthly deeds. Jesus cries out, This is the time of fulfillment! The Kingdom of  God is at hand! Repent and believe in the Gospel. And indeed, time is running short for we are drawing nearer to the fulfillment of His words.

Are we fulfilling our mission yet? How do we respond to his call to come follow him?

This Year dedicated to the Faith and to the Mission of proclaiming the Good News to the whole world, let us not hesitate in doing our God-given task. Nobody is weak in proclaiming the Gospel. All of us are involved, in hope that we would also receive the grace of eternal life in the future.