Mark 1,14-20 – Monday of the First Week of Ordinary Time
«The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near; convert and believe in the Gospel.” These are the words that Jesus uses in his preaching, beginning his public ministry. They don’t seem like big speeches or complicated reasoning, but they are just words that point to that essential thing that we very often lose sight of.
“The time is fulfilled” means that the present moment is the only time we have to concern ourselves with. We no longer have to escape to the past or the future, but following Jesus means taking the present seriously, entering into it, enjoy it to the full. “The kingdom of God is near”, that is, we no longer have to wait for something that will happen one day, but what we are looking for is already hidden in the folds of our life and our history; it’s just that very often we don’t have eyes to notice this kingdom that is so close to each of us. It is the second condition that Jesus places in his following: realizing so much beauty that is hidden in the obvious and normal things of life.
Then there is a lapidary request: to convert and believe in the Gospel. Conversion is changing your mentality, way of reasoning, point of view. And this is always the most difficult thing for us, because very often we are too attached to our way of seeing and reasoning. Following Jesus means letting yourself be taught to think differently. But there is little point in changing our reasoning if we do not have faith in the Gospel, that is, if we do not learn to trust in the good news that the Lord has placed in the lives of each of us. Ultimately, this good news is knowing that we are loved to the extreme consequences of this love. But it’s one thing to know it and another to believe it. The present, normality, point of view, trust: these are the words that Jesus uses in his preaching. It would be nice for us, today, to examine our conscience on these words and ask ourselves where we stand.
Go to READINGS OF THE DAY
