Gospel Lectio Divina for The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 22, 2023
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.
MEDITATE
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.
Why is Jesus filled with such determination to go to Galilee after the arrest of John the Baptist? There seems to be great immediacy to his actions, almost as if he is following a script and the arrest of John the Baptist was his cue to begin his own ministry. Indeed, I believe that is the case and the script is the Father’s will. While Jesus does have free will, in his free will he always chooses to do the will of the Father. The plan of salvation was set in place long before he entered the earth, and he is now fulfilling it just as the prophecies foretold.
“The way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light”
This prophecy is a reference to the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2. Jesus, who is the "great light" is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament who will bring salvation to the Gentiles, specifically those living in the region of Galilee. The region of Galilee was considered by the Jews to be a place of spiritual darkness because it had many Gentiles, it was an impoverished rural community, and–due to the large Gentile population–was heavily influenced by Roman culture. The prophecy also implies that Jesus' ministry will extend beyond the boundaries of Israel, to the "way of the sea" and "beyond the Jordan," indicating the universality of his message.
So from the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus preached and ministered to the Gentiles–and it was even prophesied that he would do so. In last week’s first reading, we read in Isaiah:
“It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
So from the very beginning God intended for the Jewish people to be the ones through whom he would bring salvation to the world. Peter and the apostles would not get the message until much later on, even after spending years in ministry with Jesus. When Peter had the vision with the animals Jews regarded as unclean–which he rightly understood to mean that Jews should not regard Gentiles as unclean–Peter finally realized that the salvation Jesus offered was meant for the Gentiles as well, and not just the Jews. It took Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit for the first pope to make the connection, but God was forwarding the plan all along through his prophets and his son, Jesus.
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
There is a certain authority about Jesus calling the disciples to leave their profession and follow him. There is no record of him trying to persuade them to follow him. He didn’t have to build rapport or garner their respect. Or at least there is no indication here that he did. He just called them and they just followed him. It was that simple. It’s a bit reminiscent of God’s six days of creation, when God said “Let there be . . .” and then it was so. God called the disciples to follow him and it was so: They followed him. Just like that. God willed it, so it just happened. When God wills something, nothing in the universe can stop it from happening. Imagine what we could accomplish, then, if we lived within his will. Just as Jesus said, anything we ask for would then be granted to us.
He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
Isaiah’s prophecy states “Galilee of the Gentiles” which seems to indicate that Galilee was predominantly filled with Gentiles. But Matthew is saying Jesus went teaching in the synagogues there, which means there must have also been a significant number of Jews in the region. It is therefore possible that God chose Galilee as the starting point of Jesus’ ministry because it was a land of coexistence. Both Jews and Gentiles lived there. Since Jesus would have to bring salvation to the Gentiles through the Jews, as was God’s plan from the beginning, it makes sense to choose a place where the two cultures already lived together.
The decision to go to Galilee first is also significant because Galilee was on the fringes of society for the Jews in many ways. It was a very rural and poor area and there was probably a much smaller population of Jews there than in the rest of Judea. Jesus was calling the Jews out of their comfort zone, expecting them to cast into the deep from the very beginning. Jesus tells the disciples that they will now be fishers of men because the goal of the gospel is to call out from the seashore, proclaiming the gospel, and bring in those who are in the deep sea–namely, the Gentiles.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
Where do you want me to go? Where are the deep seas in today’s world where you want me to cast my net and bring more people into your kingdom? It’s intimidating to expect so much from others: The decision to follow Christ requires great sacrifice, and to call people to make that sacrifice is not easy. But it is worth it, because that is what we were all created to do. We were all made to do your will, and only you know exactly how to catch people in the deep seas. I am just the fishing net that gets drenched and tangled as you wield me to do your will. Make me an instrument of your evangelization. I will go where you lead me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
LISTEN
When Jesus called the disciples, they dropped everything and followed him. Am I that obedient when God calls me to do something? I say I don’t know if it’s really God’s will, but there’s an easy way to find out if something is his will: Pray more. The most important part of prayer is the listening part, when we quiet our hearts, minds, and souls to contemplate what God is saying to us. This contemplation almost always leads to God giving us some concrete action plan, just like when he called his disciples.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.