Monday, January 12 2015; Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 305

Reading 1
Heb 1:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways 
to our ancestors through the prophets; 
in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son, 
whom he made heir of all things 
and through whom he created the universe,

who is the refulgence of his glory, 
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
as far superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say:

You are my Son; this day I have begotten you?

Or again:

I will be a father to him, and he shall be a Son to me?

And again, when he leads the first born into the world, he says:

Let all the angels of God worship him.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 97:1 and 2b, 6 and 7c, 9

R. (see 7c) Let all his angels worship him.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. 
R. Let all his angels worship him.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
Let all his angels worship him.
R. Let all his angels worship him.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
R. Let all his angels worship him.

Alleluia
Mk 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 1:14-20

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: GONE FISHIN'

"Jesus said to them, 'Come after Me; I will make you fishers of men.' " –Mark 1:17

Have you gone fishing yet this year? The Lord wants you to fish for men and women every day. Fishing as Jesus knew it was more a matter of repeated effort than skill. Fishers needed skill to know where and when to fish, but mostly it took just plain hard work. Fishing in Jesus' day had nothing to do with bait, reels, or poles. Fishing was simply throwing a heavy net into the sea and dragging it back. The more times they cast the net and the longer they worked, the better their chances were of catching fish. Fishing was basically long hours of hard manual labor (e.g. see Lk 5:5).

Fishing for men and women (evangelizing) is similar. We don't need to be smart or articulate. We just need to work daily, frequently, and repeatedly to lead others to Christ. If you keep throwing the net, Jesus will provide the fish (see Jn 21:6ff; Lk 5:5-6). Those who fish a lot catch a lot of fish.

PRAYER: Father, may my love for You inspire me to work hard at fishing.

PROMISE: "In times past, God spoke in fragmentary and varied ways to our fathers through the prophets; in this, the final age, He has spoken to us through His Son." –Heb 1:1-2

PRAISE: St. Marguerite earned the title "Cofoundress of the Church of Canada" by ministering to the young women of Quebec.