This is what I came to do

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

St Mark tells us of an interesting moment in the early phase of Jesus’s public ministry. Jesus had grown up in the village of Nazareth in Galilee region. He had returned to Galilee after his baptism in the Jordan river near Jerusalem. He moved to the lakeside village of Capernaum and, as we learn, was staying in the house of Simon Peter.

He was already attracting a great deal of interest as people were impressed by his preaching and his healing powers. The Gospel today presents the touching scene of people bringing their sick to the house where he was staying.

St Mark records that one morning, “long before dawn”, he says, Jesus quietly withdrew to a place where he could be alone and, no doubt, pray. He needed to get away from the attention and activity. There he could quietly consider what his next steps should be.

When Simon and his other close disciples finally located him, Jesus announced his intentions. Having had some time to think things through he was now clear as to what he would now do. He announced: “Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came”.

He knew that now he must ‘go on the road’, if you like. He was to become an itinerant preacher. He was to be in contact with the rural peoples of the region.

In a way, St Paul in the second reading today, echoes this sense of purpose and mission when he says,

I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it!

Jesus knew that he had to preach the Gospel and reach as many people as he could. This would define his three or so years of his public ministry. He was, first and foremost, a preacher.

This remains, also, the first and foremost duty of the Church. At the centre of the mission of the Church in the world today is the steady and consistent preaching of the Gospel.

St Paul comments in his letter to the Romans that people will not call upon God unless they know of him. He says: “But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher”. (Rom 10:14)

Preaching is primarily an exercise not so much in conveying religious information or even moral exhortation, but its primary purpose is inspiring people to come to faith in God. Often Jesus commented, “Your faith has saved you”. His interest was in people coming to faith.

The particular focus of his preaching was calling people to embrace a new life of union with God. He spoke about entering the Kingdom of God. As the way to achieve this he urged people to repent and believe.

The essence of the Gospel message is to enter into a relationship with God, to bring God into one’s life. It is more than just a notional acceptance of the existence of God and even the fulfilling of certain religious duties, it is to open one’s heart and life completely to God. It is to allow God to become the very animating centre of one’s life.

At the present time in our Australian society large numbers of people now consider themselves to have no religion. They do not see the need for God. It is also true that many who may hold some notional connection to a faith really live as though God does not exist. God has no real place and influence in their life. Their life and values are shaped by the culture and not by God’s truth.

We now live in a social environment where most people we associate with do not have a personal faith in God and do not live their life according to Christian teaching.

Preaching the Gospel is so much needed today. This preaching has as its purpose to draw people to faith in God. It is a challenging task but one that must be undertaken. Preach we must.

This year, as I have previously mentioned, the Archdiocese is undertaking a special pastoral initiative. We are asking every parish develop a Parish Mission Plan. During the course of the year all parishes in the Archdiocese will be exploring ways in which they can be more proactive in reaching out to those who have lost faith.

What was revealed in the Gospel today is that in the heart of Jesus was a desire to reach as many people as possible. He wanted to go to their towns and villages and preach.

This must be in the heart of all believers. We need to rid ourselves of the idea that faith is just a private matter. Like St Paul we need to sense that this is what is expected of me. He said “it is a responsibility that has been put into my hands”. He adds, “I have made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still do this, for the sake of the Gospel, to have a share in its blessings”.

In these challenging times, the Church cannot turn in on itself. It cannot simply continue business as usual. It must find the ways to present the message of Christ in a compelling way to the people of our time.

Like Jesus, the Church needs to be able to say, “This is what I came to do”.

Archbishop Julian Porteous

Sunday, 4 February 2024