Today, Fr. Martin celebrated the 11 a.m. mass with us. It was also a youth mass in which Ka Bo was the M.C. and of course, we sang with electric guitars, drums and PowerPoint. Every time, some minor hiccups would come up to spice up the excitements.
In his homily, Fr. Martin brought our attention to God's purpose for our lives, not our own purposes. God does not want us to slave ourselves, work and work until we return to Him. God wants us to be something. For example, in the first reading, we read of Jonah's story in Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-5, 10). Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire which eventually would conquer the Northern Kingdom, Israel.
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness has come up before me (Jonah 1:2).
Jonah was a prophet of the Northern Kingdom and naturally, his righteousness made him dislike the Assyrians. When God summoned him to warn off the Assyrians, he was recoiled at the idea and ran away. Then came the story of his spending three days in the belly of a big fish and finally Jonah was transported to Nineveh. However, the Bible is silent on what wickedness the people of Nineveh had done. At the proclamation of Jonah, the people believed in God and repented. This was the key point.
And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them (Jonah 3:5).
Then came a happy ending for the people of Nineveh.
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it (Jonah 3:10).
God does not care what we have done. He gives us opportunities to repent and He is eager to make us perfect.
The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here (Matthew 12:41).
In the gospel today, we read of the story of Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God after the Baptist had been arrested.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15)
The message is simple and clear. Repent, turn back to God and believe in the invitation to reconcile with God.
Then Jesus called the fishermen to help him invite more people to reconcile with God. He did not call the learned teachers of the Law. Nor did he call the rich first. Don't worry. These people would join him in the future. But for the time being, he extended his invitation to ordinary people, the mass.
And Jesus said to them (Simon and Andrew), "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men." (Mark 1:17)
BECOME. Not possess, nor achieve. Not possess riches and power, nor achieve fame, targets and status. Jesus wants us to become what in eternity he has already in mind about us.
Fr. Martin admits that as a priest, he lacks a lot of things we laity have. But God is fair, we laity lack a lot of things he has. Leading a life of sanctity, he witnesses a lot of miracles worked by God. He sees many wonderful transformations taking place among youngsters when they accept God's grace. Fr. Martin invited us to look around us God's patient and untiring works of sanctification and to cooperate with Jesus.
Dear Lord, guide us along the path of sanctification. Make us a song pleasing to Your ears and to our neighbours'. Amen.
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