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January 22, 2012
“God saw by their actions...”
It is unusual when the First and Second Readings seem to echo a similar theme, but it appears to be true this weekend. The experience of the Prophet Jonah in witnessing the quick reaction of the people of Nineveh to his call to repentance aligns with the fervor of St. Paul in urging the Corinthians to recognize that “the time is running out” for a sincere change of heart, “for the world in its present form is passing away.”
Even though it is two thousand years later, we are still living in that time of grace—and, just because it has been two thousand years since Paul spoke, we would be foolish to think we have unlimited time for taking seriously the call to repentance. The right time to respond to the Lord is as soon as we perceive the truth of our status in God’s eyes: we are loved, but we are also accountable for our actions. Repentance is the process whereby, moved by conviction about the love of God, we make a decision to be more accountable for a more authentic embrace of His will as the standard for our human behaviors.
Today’s passage from St. Mark’s Gospel describes the call of the first Apostles very differently from St. John’s version last Sunday. Perhaps Mark’s account is read today to provide us with an example of people (Peter and Andrew, James and John) recognizing the moment of grace (Jesus’ invitation to follow Him) and responding to it at once. We should not presume on God’s goodness by thinking we can delay our response to those opportunities of His invitation to repent.
January 22 marks a tragic anniversary in our country: it was 39 years ago, in 1973, that the U.S. Supreme Court issued its infamous decision in Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion and setting our society on a path of moral relativism that continues to divide us. Many see in our current climate the accuracy of Blessed John Paul II’s description of a ‘culture of death’ that has pervaded the moral reasoning of our society and dulled our sensitivity to so many critical challenges.
The Gospel of Life, as the late Holy Father taught, calls us to stand in solidarity with those who protest in our nation’s capital today, refusing to accept as final the flawed logic of Roe v. Wade on the question of the respect due to the unborn. We observe this anniversary in deep sadness, as we pray for all the lives lost through these 39 years of permissive abortion policy, as well as for all those whose lives have been permanently impacted by a bad choice in response to an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy.
We ask the Lord to help us all be more receptive to His call to respect the inherent sanctity of every human life, from conception to natural death, and to be courageous advocates for the Gospel of Life in our own circumstances.
God love you!
Msgr. Tim Shugrue
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