3RD SUNDAY HOMILY, IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B

3RD SUNDAY HOMILY, IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B

THEME: THE TIME IS NOW

BY: Bishop Gerald M. Musa

Jonah 3:1-5; I Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20

A friend gave me some self-motivational books, one of which was titled, “The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment” by Eckhart Tolle. In this book, Tolle argues that true fulfilment and spiritual awakening can only be found by being fully present in the here and now. “The Power of Now” encourages readers to recognize the urgency of embracing the present moment and the urgency of living a more conscious and fulfilling life by being fully engaged in the present. The book has inspired countless individuals to reevaluate their relationship with time, consciousness, and the pursuit of true happiness.

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The Power of Now re-echoes the teaching of the gospel about making the best use of the present in securing the future. Jesus began his public ministry calling his listeners to urgent action. He preached with a loud voice saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). Soon after preaching, He began to call disciples. First, He called Simon and Andrew fishermen when they were casting a net in the sea. “And immediately, they left their nets and followed Him” These fishermen did not procrastinate, but saw the urgency of His message. They followed Him with instinctive alacrity.

Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh and gave them an ultimatum, a time frame to repent. He said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). The people of Nineveh did not fall prey to procrastination, but with a sense of urgency, they turned from their evil ways. Likewise, the Apostle Paul reminded the people of Corinth, “The appointed time is very short” (1 Corinthians 7:29). He meant there was no time for procrastination because procrastination is the thief of time. The Apostle knew well that attachment to material things and relationships are among the factors that cause procrastination towards responding to God’s message. This is the reason why he admonished them, “Let those who have wives live as though they had none…and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing away” (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:30-31). Simply put, the message of Paul is that every follower of Christ should avoid clinging to the world and develop a habit of detachment.

When we look at our lives, we will observe that we are often weighed down by the burden of an unhappy and wayward life. We seem to be like people who are on the wrong bus, heading for the wrong destination. What is surprising is that we tend to cling to our old unhappy way of life. We are so entangled in our marriage to the world and to the glittering things the world offers. We prefer to delay the adoption of the new, happier, deeper and authentic way of life that the Gospel message offers us.

What is more, the Gospel constantly speaks of Kairos, which is a Greek word for God’s appointed time. Kairos is God’s opportune moment, the right time. The phrase ‘appointed time’ is used 86 times in the New Testament in different ways such as “At the appointed time,” “The hour has come…” etc. Jesus repeatedly speaks about the value of time and He says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). He calls us to embrace the message of the Gospel now, with springy alacrity and vigour. The time is now.

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