The Team

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Deacon Thomas Stephenson

January 26, 2014

The verses of today’s Gospel follow immediately after Matthew’s account of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness of Judea. For Matthew, this was the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. We are told that He “withdrew to Galilee”, which is an area north of Judea. He then made His home in Capernaum, which basically became kind of His base of operations. The people of Galilee and the surrounding area were likely to be more receptive to Him, as the Sadducees and Pharisees in the south would probably not see His teaching as a blessing, but a threat. Matthew tells us that, by going to Galilee, Jesus fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah, that in that region, “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.”

Now, John the Baptist has been arrested, and in Jesus’ words, we can hear the continuation, and confirmation, of what John was telling the people “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” There is a certain balance in this proclamation – on one hand, the challenge to repent, on the other hand, the good news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Although we are sinners, we are not to despair in our sinfulness, because the Lord offers us the love, forgiveness, and salvation that only He can provide. The grace of God is available to all of us – in the Mass, and in the sacraments, the kingdom of God is at hand.

The very next thing we hear is of Jesus calling His disciples. He realizes that, in order for His teachings, His Word, to be maintained after He has returned to the Father, He needs to assemble a team, a core group of men to follow Him and learn from Him. Although we don’t hear it in Matthew, the Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus prayed all night before calling the Apostles. (See Luke 6:12-16) In his book Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote “The calling of the Apostles is a prayer event; it is as if they were begotten in prayer, in intimacy with the Father. The calling of the twelve, far from being purely functional, takes on a deeply theological meaning.” (Jesus of Nazareth, p. 170) How many of us have tried to assemble a team? Whether at work, or in sports, or in some other context, you need to bring together not just the best people, but the ones who fit well, and work well, with each other; whose individual abilities all contribute to the whole team. Sometimes, it requires recognizing the hidden talents of someone who may not be the best at first glance. We know what a difficult challenge that can be. Now, those kinds of teams are primarily functional. But Jesus needed more than that. And He could certainly see in these men what others could not. It would probably not have been apparent to any observer at the time that lowly fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John would have been capable of becoming what the Lord ended up making them. They didn’t volunteer, they didn’t see Jesus going by and ask to join Him. He called them. Pope Benedict also wrote: “You cannot make yourself a disciple – it is an event of election, a free decision of the Lord’s will, which in its turn is anchored in His communion of will with the Father.” (ibid, p. 170) Even for those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus, in doing so we are saying yes to His call, to His will, not simply acting according to our own wishes.

The Apostles were to become followers of Jesus, and leaders of His people, His Church. It is interesting that these four Apostles are two sets of brothers. In each pair, the brothers had each other for support. Like the Apostles, we too need the support of our brothers and sisters, our fellow Catholics, to support each other, in our faith, and in our lives.

In becoming Apostles, these men became something new, in a way they were converted, they were transformed – their very identity changed, they were no longer fishermen. This was a complete change in their lives, not just in what they did, but also in who they were.

I mentioned earlier that in the Mass and the Sacraments, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It is through the successors of the Apostles, bishops and priests, that Jesus has provided for us to have these things, as well as other blessings for our spiritual welfare. Responding to Jesus’ call, they have given their lives, dropped whatever other plans or occupations they may have had; sometimes, as in Father Paul’s case, they have left their families, travelling great distances to do God’s will, and dedicated themselves to being followers and leaders. Without them, we would not have the Church that Jesus intended.

But the Church is also comprised of all of us, faithful believers. In one role or another, we are all members of the team. Our call may not be identical to that of the Apostles, but it is a call from the Lord nonetheless. How have we responded, and how are we still responding, to that call? Similar to the apostles, this should affect our very identity, our understanding of who we are as much as what we do as Christians. Following Jesus means exactly that – going where He leads us, where He asks us to go, doing what He asks us to do. He may ask us to do things that we didn’t think of, or that we really don’t want to, but He will never ask us to do anything we can’t. “There may be times when we think our talents are not sufficient, or we are reluctant to make the necessary commitment, or that we are not good enough. God isn’t looking for perfect people to do His work. We all know that even His hand-picked apostles had their shortcomings. He is looking for us – imperfect, but faithful and compassionate, obedient and committed.” (Homily, January 23, 2011) Let us ask the Lord for the wisdom to discern what He is calling us for, and the grace to respond as He wills.