Isaiah 8:23-9:3; 1Cor 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23
Although this is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, there is a sense in which it is the First. Until now, we have been dealing with the second and third parts of Epiphany: today, there is a feeling that we are embarking on a new chapter as Our Lord begins His mission, a mission of which we are called to be part.
It starts, the Gospel tells us, with the arrest of John the Baptist, which seems to spur Jesus into action, into the living out of His baptism, just as we are called to live out our baptism. Why should this be? Did it close the door on any hope that John’s mission might succeed in converting the people, and cause Jesus to accept fully that the task of proclaiming the Kingdom devolved on Him? We tend to think, I suspect, that Jesus had the whole of His earthly life mapped out fully from the beginning, but that interpretation rules out the uncertainty which is part of the human condition, and in which the fully human Redeemer must have shared to some extent, as part of His humanity.
Now, it seems, the arrest of the Baptist rules out any hesitation, and the public life and ministry of Jesus begin in earnest. This beginning is marked by what is commonly known as the kerygma.
“Ah yes,” you may say, “the kerygma. They speak of little else in Yealand.” Or you may not. It means the proclamation, the basic message of Jesus, and it is expressed in these terms: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.” What does it mean and, in particular, what are its implications for us?
“Repent” first of all: we are well used by now to being told that this has its roots in the Greek word “metanoia”, meaning a change in our basic attitude and outlook, often described as a change of heart. It is more than simply being sorry for our sins; it entails a refocussing of our whole outlook, our whole identity, what makes us tick. In the far off days of my youth, Jodrell Bank, with its radio telescope, was often in the news, as it tracked the stars and planets and, after the launch of the first Sputnik in 1957, man made satellites as well. As it did so, it had to be frequently turned to follow movement in the skies. Similarly, our focus has to be constantly adjusted, as we seek to recognise what God is asking of us at any given time: thus, repentance is an ongoing process.
Why should we repent? We should repent because “the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand”, reminding us that the Kingdom or reign of God was always the focus of Jesus’ preaching. Yet, if it is close at hand, where is it? We appear to see little sign of it in today’s world. Everywhere there are wars and rumours of wars. Sometimes it appears that our very civilisation is reaching its end, along with the inhabited world. What signs are there of the proximity of the Kingdom?
Where two or three still gather in the name of Jesus, despite difficulties, opposition, cynicism and apathy, the Kingdom is present. Wherever the mystery of Calvary is re-enacted in the Eucharistic sacrifice and meal—in other words, wherever Mass is celebrated—the Kingdom is present. Wherever people receive the Body of Christ in order to become the Body of Christ, the Kingdom is present. Wherever the word of God is proclaimed, reflected upon, and taken to heart, the Kingdom is present.
Yet the Kingdom is not restricted to its more obviously religious manifestations. Wherever kindness is shown to those who need it, the Kingdom is present. When people put their talents and time at the service of others, the Kingdom is present. When parents seek baptism and the other sacraments for their children, however faltering their own faith may be; when they feel the need to ask for a priest or other minister to conduct funeral rites for their loved one, however distant they may be from regular religious practice, the Kingdom is present. It may be in the form of a very faintly flickering flame: it is our task to keep that flame alive, however dimly it may burn.
When are we to do this? One phrase in English, translated from a single word in the original Greek, gives us the answer. It is a phrase used twice in describing the calling of the first apostles and their response: it is the phrase “at once”.
