January 12-14: The Real Work of Christmas

In Mark 1, 14-20, we read that “Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me.’”

Any significant encounter between people can have a life-giving effect. The meeting of Jesus with His first disciples was such a life-giving moment. But the kind of encounter they had at the lakeshore is offered to each of us. Jesus, after all, is not just a figure of history, belonging to the past. Nor is He forever a child resting in a manger. He is the living Lord, still present in His Church and in the world, constantly calling out to us and meeting with us in the course of our day to day lives, as He met with those first disciples while they were going about their daily work.

Now that we have moved beyond the official Christmas season, let’s be sure to remember that the Lord meets us and speaks to us in various ways, every day. He does so especially in the Eucharist, in the Scriptures, through listening to others, listening to nature, and listening to our own hearts. If we experience the good news of God’s unconditional love, we will also hear some kind of personal call to take the good news to others. Isn’t this the real work of Christmas: taking Christ out into the world?