Well, let’s look at our Gospel, from Mark chapter one. It begins “After
John had been arrested…” Literally
it says, “after John had been handed
over.” That is the same thing that
is going to happen to Jesus later in the Gospel. He is going to be “handed over” to evil men
representing the powers of this world, the powers of darkness. Very early in the Gospel St. Mark sets a
somber tone.
Mark’s Gospel
is called the “Sorrowful Gospel” The
shadow of the Cross is cast very clearly over this Gospel. In Mark’s Gospel you cannot understand Jesus
until you get to the Cross. Unless you
accept the Cross as part of following Jesus you cannot follow Him.
Scholars think
that Mark is writing for a community that is being persecuted, that is
suffering. So Mark reminds them that
taking up your cross daily is an integral part of following Jesus. The Cross is always present in Mark’s
Gospel. And that is a challenge to us.
Anyway, in the
passage Jesus begins His preaching mission, proclaiming the gospel, or
literally “good news” of God. Then St
Mark succinctly sums up Jesus’ preaching.
I like that because I like things that are direct, to the point,
succinct. No beating around the
bush. Jesus gives it to us straight: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand.” It is here!
God’s Kingdom is now breaking into history in a whole new and unique way
in Jesus Christ. This is something NEW,
something DIFFERENT, something UNEXPECTED.
The Kingdom of God is at hand, it is right here.
So, what
should we do? Jesus has a short, to the
point answer for that too. “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” I really like that sentence, not only because
it is concise and succinct, but it is also very positive.
Anyone here
ever feel guilty? Of course. You did something stupid, and later you
realize how many people you disappointed and hurt, and you feel like a
jerk. You feel guilty.
Well, that is NOT what Jesus is calling us to. No where in the Gospel does Jesus ever urge
or tell us to feel guilty. Guilt only
keeps us chained to the past. Guilt
feeds on replaying old tapes. Guilt
focusses us backwards.
That is NOT
what Jesus calls us to. Rather, Jesus
tells us “Repent, and believe in the
gospel.” Repentance is different
than guilt. Repentance is about changing
and moving forward. Repentance is a
change of mind and heart. Jesus tells us
“Repent, and believe in the gospel,”
the Good News of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.
Interestingly
we have a case of repentance in our first reading from the Book of the Prophet
Jonah. Jonah starts preaching the
impending doom of the City of Nineveh.
And what happens? The people and
the king repent. “the people of Nineveh believed God, they proclaimed a fast and all of
them great and small, put on sack cloth.”
They changed their hearts and they changed their ways. They turned from sin and moved forward in a
new direction. They repented.
And what happened? “When
God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil ways, he (that is,
GOD) repented of the evil that he had
threatened to do to them, he did not carry it out.” God repents!
God changes what God was going to do.
God repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them.
Do you think
God was sad over that? Was God
disappointed? Was God really looking for
an opportunity to sorely smack some sinners, and so was disappointed when they
changed their evil ways and He couldn’t smack them? NO!
God was
delighted to repent of the evil he had threatened to do to them. God was overjoyed! Repentance is not a sad and onerous thing,
because repentance is always about turning to more life, turning from the works
of death which is sin, and embracing instead the works of life, the Gospel
which is GOOD news.
Jesus does not
call us to feelings of guilt. Jesus does
call us to repentance, to moving forward in the way of life, and to believe in
the Gospel, the Good News of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.
Brothers and
Sisters: The Gospel is not easy. It takes work and sacrifice. We must embrace
the crosses in our lives. But it is
still Good News, the good news of life, of the triumph of love over hate, of
life over death, of God over sin.
Follow Jesus’ call:
“Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
AMEN.
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