1/14/2013 – Monday of 1st week in ordinary time– Mark 1:14-20

         In today’s Gospel message, Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God.  He calls all to repent and to believe his Good News. Then, Jesus immediately calls others to be his disciples and gives them a mission to bring others into the kingdom of God.  As the first disciples, Jesus chooses fishermen, not scholars, or scribes, or the Temple priests, or the learned. He chooses people from the common, ordinary ranks of ancient Jewish society.  When the Lord calls us to serve, we must not think that we have nothing to offer.  The Lord uses us for greatness in his kingdom. 

         I don’t think that it is a coincidence that we have this Gospel reading during the time we celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week in our American Catholic Church (January 13 – 19, 2013.)  God calls us all to a vocation, just as he called these young fishermen to a specific task in today’s Gospel reading from Mark.  It is our responsibility as followers of Jesus to try to discern where God is calling us and to follow him based on that call and that discernment.  Jesus can call us in many different ways: to be a priest, a monk, a religious sister or brother, a lay ecclesial minister, a missionary, a Catholic school teacher, or a single or a married lay person as one of Jesus’ loyal disciples.  No matter what Jesus calls us to be as his followers, we are called to give glory to God, to be faithful to the Gospel, to be loyal to Jesus and to the holy Catholic Church.  May Jesus fill us with the joy of the Gospel.  May he help us to be a good witness to the kingdom of God to others.