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Sunday, January 23, 2000

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3rd Sunday Ordinary Time


Jonah 3:1-5, 10
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Psalm 25
Mark 1:14-20

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drop everything

"Jesus said to them, 'Come after Me.' " —Mark 1:17

Jesus is here. Drop everything. Imitate the Ninevites who stopped the workings of their whole society in order to fast, put on sackcloth, and repent (Jon 3:5). When Simon and Andrew met Jesus, they dropped their fishing business (Mk 1:18). James and John did the same thing in addition to leaving behind their father, Zebedee (Mk 1:20).

Because Jesus is here and will come again in glory, husbands should live as though they did not have wives (1 Cor 7:29), that is, they should at times temporarily abstain from marital relations so that they can pray and fast (1 Cor 7:5). Those who are weeping or rejoicing (1 Cor 7:30) should stop thinking about how they feel, because "the time is short" (1 Cor 7:29) and "the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mk 1:15, our transl). Moreover, those who are buyers and involved in the world's system (see 1 Cor 7:30-31) need to start financial planning for the time when a person will not be allowed "to buy or sell anything unless he was first marked with the name of the beast" (Rv 13:17). "The world as we know it is passing away" (1 Cor 7:31).

Christ has died. Drop everything. Christ is risen. Drop everything. Christ will come again. Drop everything. Jesus is Lord!

Prayer:  Father, free me from being possessed by my possessions.

Promise:  "Repent and believe in the Gospel." —Mk 1:15, our transl.

Praise:  Praise Jesus, the only Way to the Father! Praise Jesus, risen from the dead! Praise Jesus, soon to come.                                                                                          

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, July 21, 1999


Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 1999