We have begun the Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year and the daily readings for the Holy Mass are from the Letter to the Hebrews and the Gospel according to St. Mark. The first one is leading us to contemplate on the mystery of Jesus Christ, His incarnation and His Priesthood.
Gospel readings lead us to contemplate on the public life of Jesus Christ, how he went about proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom and how there were varied responses: some wondered at the ‘authority with which he preached, some criticized Him, His words and deeds, some admired the “power of God” manifested in His works of healing and deliverance from the evil spirits; some accepted His call to discipleship and followed leaving everything, including their own family and occupation. We are made to go back to the history and also to review as to how we are seeing and accepting the Lord Jesus as his followers and disciples. Each of us has to be in a ‘one-to-one’ relationship with Him, as worshippers, as His imitators of His ways, and as followers/disciples.
Also read: ‘Learn from Christ Jesus to Grow and Mature in One’s Vocation’
The journey of the first disciples went through a process of slow but a gradual and certain learning and growth. It is a growth and maturity in their understanding of their life in and with Jesus Christ, they went through phases doubts and questions, fears and anxieties, and they almost totally abandoned their Lord and Master at the time of his of suffering, crucifixion and death on the cross! This can also happen to the best among the Christian believers and followers of Christ in our present times.
The Holy season of Lent will commence soon. Here again, the Lord teaches us about our following Him. He calls on us and invites us to see the need to repent and change, and to believe more deeply the Good News of the Kingdom! The fruit of our journeying with the Lord in these seasons of the of the Liturgical Year would depend, of course, on how we are personally disposed in faith to listen and learn from Him in order to receive the saving grace from Him! But, the call is placed before us. It is good to see, one important dimension of our life.
Our following the Lord Jesus should make us fine human beings with all the human qualities and human values: honesty, truthfulness, gentleness, kindness, courteous, respects for others, especially towards women, recognition of the basic rights of others, etc. What Saint Paul enumerates as the fruits of the Spirit are basically human qualities that we expect our the fellow human beings: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22). We can say that our fellowship with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will have to transform our lives holistically, provided, of course, that we try to persevere in that fellowship consciously and consistently. Human as we are, the best among us can fail to be with Jesus Christ in all aspects of life and in all situations. Liable to fall and fail, we have the need to get up and start all over again. This is the call of the Holy Season of Lent which culminates in the ceremony of the renewal of Baptismal promises! This is how the continuous process of growth and maturity in Christian life takes place. We are not, however, passive subjects in this process. This means, we have to take responsibility for our way of life, as followers of Jesus Christ and in members the Church.
1Cor 3: 2ff
Connected to the above reflections there is another important point: “what are we seeking in and through our fellowship with Jesus Christ?” This question was posed to the first disciples of Jesus, “The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” (Jn 1: 37-38a). In our own day, this point is raised by the Lord is important and relevant. For all of us if we truly want to be in fellowship with Our Lord Jesus and be a member of the Church, the Community of believers in Jesus Christ a clear mind and heart about what we are seeking. Everyday needs and desires, and daily struggles in all kinds of situations exert so much pressure on us due to which we are distracted. Our minds and hearts get diverted from our pursuit of following Jesus Christ and His way!
“He who says “I know him” but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: He who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1John 2:4-6).