February 07, 2016
5th Sunday Ordinary Time
Recently, someone sent me an article in the Smithsonian entitled: “Unearthing the World of Jesus.†Archaeology discovers ancient ruins that give us insights into daily life at the time of Jesus. The landscape helps us understand the Biblical texts. What I find interesting are two “digs†that correspond to places mentioned the last three Sundays in the Gospel according to St. Luke: the synagogue in Nazareth and the calling of the fishermen at the Sea of Galilee. In 2009 Israel Antiquities Authority found a synagogue in Magdala with benches for 200 people, beautiful mosaic tiles and a stone table (with relief carvings of the temple in Jerusalem) where scrolls of sacred scripture were placed and then read to the community. Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene, is close to Nazareth and a likely place for Jesus to attend services. An earlier “dig†in 1986 unearthed a fishing boat moored at the Sea or Lake of Galilee that can be traced to the 1st century with room for twelve plus an oarsman. After listening to the Gospel, we can close our eyes imagining Jesus in the synagogue reading a passage from Isaiah or Jesus in a boat teaching, then directing Simon to “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.â€
We can envision God’s glory “filling the temple†like Isaiah (1st Reading) or being aware of God’s closeness in a synagogue in Galilee but we are surprised to encounter God at the seashore after a great catch of fish. Simon Peter is keenly aware of his own sinfulness and asks Jesus (whom he calls Lord) to leave. We notice in all three of our readings today the dynamic of grace: awareness of God’s holiness, confession of weakness and sin, healing and forgiveness, and then a call to God’s service. We see it happening in Isaiah, Paul and Peter!
We may expect to encounter Jesus in church on the weekend when we assemble in faith, break open the Word and receive Holy Communion but God is likely to surprise us when we are tongue-tied and ignored like the prophet Isaiah, or trying to resolve conflict like Paul within the Church at Corinth, or changing diapers or answering smart-phones like Peter dragging nets full of smelly fish. It’s when our hands are full and we are attempting to balance multiple demands that Jesus comes and asks us to reorder our priorities and follow him. Strange, Jesus comes to us as we are in the rhythm of daily life and invites us to enter into the Kingdom of God. The prerequisite is not our perfection but openness. The question remains: can we leave our nets behind and follow him? We have another chance to say “yes†on Ash Wednesday!
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4th Sunday Ordinary Time
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1st Sunday of Lent
