walking with God

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Friday, 30 January 2015 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 36 : 3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40

Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and live on it. Make the Lord your delight, and He will grant your heart’s desire.

Commit your way to the Lord; put your trust in Him and let Him act. Then will your revenge come beautiful as the dawn, and the justification of your cause, bright as the noonday sun.

The Lord is the One who makes people stand, He gives firmness to those He likes. They may stumble, but they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

The Lord is the salvation of the righteous; in time of distress, He is their refuge. The Lord helps them, and rescues them from the oppressor; He saves them for they sought shelter in Him.

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Thursday, 29 January 2015 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the light that is being hidden, and how Jesus commented on how improper that is. Light should indeed be put on a pedestal and shown to the world, so that all may see the light and be made whole by that light. What does that mean, brethren? That means, we should be witnesses to the Light that Christ had brought into the world, and we have to show it through ourselves.

And how do we do that? It is by living the faith which we believe in, and therefore we have to practice it in our own lives. We cannot pretend to be faithful and yet not practicing what we believe in. Our faith is not one that should be hidden deep in our hearts, but rather should be expressed with courage and openly so that others may be able to see what we believe in, and believe too.

Brethren, as what the Lord had said in the Gospel as well, that in whatever measure we have given, we shall receive, therefore, there lies also the reality, that the more we do things for the sake of the Lord and for the sake of our faith, the more we shall receive in our reward, that is heavenly glory. The less things we do, because we are reluctant, or lazy or being indifferent to our faith, the less too shall be our reward, and in the end, not only that we may not receive the reward, but instead we may receive punishment and torment for our failure to do what the Lord had asked us to do.

Christ is the Light of the world, and He came into this world for a sole purpose, that is to find all those who have been lost in the darkness of the world, as the Shepherd who is looking for all of His lost sheep. Imagine a person carrying a torchlight or a candle in the darkness looking for a lost item, and that was what Jesus came into this world for. He did not come to this world to punish us, or to enjoy Himself, but to suffer and die for us, that through that action, we may see the true Light.

All of us who believe in Him, and who have accepted Him as our Lord and Saviour, had been made His children, that is the children of the Light. And as the children of the Light therefore, it is totally scandalous if we are to do things that are not showing that we are the creatures of the Light and instead showing that we belong to the darkness. That is why we have to think through our every actions.

Our actions must be based on the teachings of the Lord, and we have to show concretely that we are truly the possessions of Christ. How do they see it? It is by what we speak of, what we do to others, and whatever we have shown by the deeds we do, and if we truly are faithful to God, then it will naturally show itself in all of them, and every word we speak will reflect that nature of Christ, and our actions will show the same love which God had shown for us mankind.

Therefore, all of us should reflect on this day, on whether we have already done what our Lord had taught us to do. We have been made the reflections of the Light which Christ had brought into the world, and thus, we all should bring forth that light to all those who are still in the darkness. Let us reveal the truth of the Lord, bringing the salvation of God to all of them.

May Almighty God be upon us, protect us, and lead us all into His truth, and into His salvation. Let us all renew our commitment and grow stronger in our faith to Him, so that by our words and actions, many will come to believe in the Lord and be saved as well. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 27 January 2015 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the readings today spoke very clearly of what the Lord wants from us, not outward obligations and observations of rituals and celebrations of our faith without understanding the meaning behind them, that is the love which we should have for our loving God. We should not just observe our faith externally, or because we feel forced to do so, but rather, we should all have the awareness and the desire to truly seek and love the Lord our God with all of our hearts.

In the Gospel our Lord Jesus made it clear to His disciples and followers, that all those who does the will of God and obey His commandments, by their understanding of the Law, will be considered as His brethren and His family. And therefore, by this, Jesus showed us all, that those who will be rewarded, will be those who hear of the word of God, but did not just let it remain as that, and instead they take concrete action, showing their faith by doing things according to what they believe in.

And this is true faith, not the faith of hypocrites, who spoke loudly of worshipping God and worshipping Him through outward actions and gestures, but in their hearts, they kept no God inside, but instead, their own ego and selfishness. They cared only about themselves and about their own good. That was why, God was angry with them and cast them away from His presence.

We have to realise that what God desires from us, is love. And not just love as we often know it, brothers and sisters in Christ, but love that is genuine, unconditional and true, just as the love which our Lord had first shown us through Jesus. He loves us all sincerely and when we are still wicked sinners, filled to the brim with sin, He had loved us all regardless of that fact.

That is how great God’s love is for us, dear brethren, for we all heard how the greatest love is for one to die and give up his or her life for the sake of his or her friend, but that is done when the one has good relationship with those for whom he or she had sacrificed himself for. And our Lord Jesus, who calls us friends, brothers and also sisters, died for us all, when all of us are still locked in a state of bitter enmity and rebelliousness against Him.

Thus, as we live our faith, we all have to truly commit ourselves to the way of the Lord. Our faith cannot be mere lip service nor should it be merely external in appearances. Rather, our faith should be the centre of our very being, with God at our heart, and with all of His precepts and ways as our own way, which we realise through our actions in loving one another with passion and true faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the feast of St. Angela Merici, a holy virgin and servant of God, who had dedicated herself to a life of service to the Lord. She had committed herself with many of her fellow religious, to a life of prayer and contemplation. Yet this does not mean that she ceased doing good for the world and for all others who were around her.

St. Angela Merici was particularly renowned for her efforts in improving Catholic education and its institutes, helping many people to have better lives through education, and saving many people from the sufferings of the world. St. Angela Merici championed the life that is consecrated and made holy, offered to God, but through that sanctity and holiness, she and many others who followed in her footsteps influenced all those whose lives she and her followers had touched.

Therefore, as all of us reflect on the life of St. Angela Merici, let us all realise what we should do in this life, in order to fulfill what God had wanted from us. We have to be truly devoted in our faith, and show that through our actions. Whenever we see others around us who are in need, we should be ever ready to provide help and love them regardless of what they have done to us before.

Be ready to forgive and be gentle to those who have caused us hurt. Do not seek revenge or build up hatred, but let our actions be filled with God’s love. May Almighty God witness our actions and that He may say to us on the last day, “Well done, My faithful servants, for You have done what I have asked you to do,” and then bring us into His eternal salvation. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 27 January 2015 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Virgins)

Mark 3 : 31-35

At that time, then the mother of Jesus and His brothers came. As they stood outside, they sent someone to call Him. The crowd sitting around Jesus told Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are outside asking for You.”

He replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” And looking around at those who sat there, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to Me.”

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Tuesday, 27 January 2015 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Virgins)

Psalm 39 : 2 and 4ab, 7-8a, 10, 11

With resolve I waited for the Lord; He listened and heard me beg. He put a new song into my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

Sacrifice and oblation You did not desire; this You had me understand. Burnt offering and sin offering You do not require. Then I said, “Here I come!”

In the great assembly I have proclaimed Your saving help. My lips, o Lord, I did not seal – You know that very well.

I have not locked up in my heart Your saving help, but have spoken about it – Your deliverance and Your faithfulness; I have made no secret of Your truth and of Your kindness in the great assembly.

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Saturday, 17 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the theme of today’s readings are similar and indeed is a continuation of yesterday’s readings. If yesterday we heard about the healing of the paralytic man by Jesus, showing God’s love and mercy for sinners, that is all of us mankind, then today we heard about the calling of Levi, the tax collector who followed Jesus and would later be known as Matthew, one of the Twelve Apostles and one of the Four Evangelists or the Writers of the Four Holy Gospels.

In this we can see that no one is beyond redemption and no one is unworthy of salvation. Salvation is offered freely by the Lord to all of us, and it is ultimately in our hands and in our decision to accept or to reject the salvation offered to us. If we accept His salvation and forgiveness for our sinfulness, then we have the potential, capacity and opportunity to become great servants of God, exalted and praised. On the other hand, if we choose to reject Him, then our share is suffering and pain everlasting.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we have to reflect on our own lives, and how we have responded to the call of Christ. Yes, our Lord has called us many times and He constantly wants to remind us to distance ourselves from corruption of this world and all forms of sins, so that we will not be tainted by its corrupting nature. Mankind are all by nature prone and vulnerable to the temptation and to the pull of sin. If we do nothing, then it is likely for us to stumble and fall into the deep pit of sin.

Sin, as I have often mentioned, is the sickness and disease of the soul. Sin makes us all sick and defiled, and if we continue to live with sin, then gradually we will be drifting further and further away from God and we will eventually be lost. Sin however does not have the final say on us, as Christ would prove, by His actions and deeds, through which He sanctified the race of mankind, bringing to them a new hope of liberation from sins.

Jesus came to offer us sinners new hope, by calling us to repent and to abandon our ways of life filled with sins. He came to call sinners back to His love and to convert a people who are wicked and turn them into the creatures of love, of gentleness and care, and of harmony and peace. Thus that was why He called Levi the tax collector, to follow Him and became one of His disciples, counted among the Twelve Apostles.

We may ask, why Jesus would bother to look for sinners and the lost sheep, wicked and sinful men. Why would He bother to go all the way into the depth of the filth and quagmire that is this world, the sole purpose of which is to rescue those who have been trapped in the quagmire and bring them to safety. In fact, do you know that Jesus our Lord let Himself be trapped in that quagmire, so that all of us trapped in it can use His Body to go to our safety?

And thus it is in the same way that our Lord Jesus Christ had gone to find the lowest and the poorest of all, the greatest sinners of all, that by bearing the full brunt of all their sins, He brought about the salvation of all who repented their sins and believed in Him. Those who repented and followed the Lord just as Levi had done, shall receive the forgiveness of their sins, and the eternal grace and blessing of God.

Therefore, today we are called by God to follow the example of Levi, that is to leave behind our lives of sin and embrace the love and mercy of God, following our Lord Jesus and accepting His salvation with our whole heart. That us what we ought to do if we are to attain a new life in Him, life that is free from sin, and in which we are no longer bound to death, which is the consequence of sin.

Today we also celebrate the feast of St. Anthony the Great, also known as St. Anthony of Egypt, one of the first monks of the Faith, namely those who chose to retreat from the worldly materials and possessions, retreating into secluded places and following a life filled with prayer and total devotion to the Lord. St. Anthony of Egypt followed this lifestyle after he reflected on the meaning of the words of Jesus, particularly, ‘Follow Me!’

Thus in order to seek the kingdom of heaven and the grace of God, St. Anthony practiced his faith by retreating from the world and all of its temptations, shunning all forms of sins and worldliness. But he did not have it easy. Temptations and the demons are always tempting him and attacking him, trying to make him fail in his devotion and holy way of life in following God. Nevertheless, St. Anthony persevered and through his intense devotion, many examples and works were made which inspired countless peoples and souls to also follow God with all of their heart.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we do not have to go to the extent of what St. Anthony had done, but at least we have to follow in his footsteps, just as Levi had done before Him, abandoning the life of sin which we have, and exchange it for the life in Christ. We have to live out our faith from now on, that is we have to truly mean what we believe in and not just to let it be empty words or profession of faith without meaning.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, from now on let us commit ourselves anew to the Lord, so that in all things we say and do, we will glorify God and give witness to Him, that others who see us may also believe in Him and be saved as well. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

 

First Reading : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/16/saturday-17-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-anthony-abbot-first-reading/

 

Psalm : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/16/saturday-17-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-anthony-abbot-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/16/saturday-17-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-anthony-abbot-gospel-reading/

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Wednesday, 14 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 1 : 29-39

At that time, on leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew with James and John. As Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever, they immediately told Him about her. Jesus went to her and, taking her by the hand, raised her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

That evening at sundown, people brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had evil spirits : the whole town was pressing around the door. Jesus healed many who had various diseases, and drove out many demons; but He did not let them speak, for they knew who He was.

Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lonely place where He prayed. Simon and the others went out also, searching for Him; and when they found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for You.” Then Jesus answered, “Let us go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came.”

So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout Galilee; He also cast out demons.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/13/wednesday-14-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Tuesday, 13 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the Lord Jesus healing the sick, the possessed and the suffering ones, from whom He cast out the demons. Yes, even demons had to obey that Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, for He is not just merely a Man, but also the Lord and Master of all creations. Satan was also once counted among His angels, and so did the other evil spirits, who were cast down from heaven for their rebellion against God.

He had come into the world to set everything straight and to take all things into His own hands, the Lord of all creations and all existences. He came to reclaim us from the clutches of Satan and to free us from the chains of sin and death. Thus, He came through Jesus, who became Man for our sake, and for our sake He laboured and toiled, resisting and fighting the forces of evil wherever He went during His ministry in this world.

And that was exactly what led to His works in this world, His casting out of demons and healing of the sick, so that He might make full again a people who had been torn apart by the darkness of the world, and bring them to the salvation which He had brought into the world. He came to save sinners and rescue those who are lost, the ones who could not find their way, blinded by sin and darkness.

Thus is the love which God has for us all mankind, so great that He was willing to humble Himself to come down to dwell among us as a simple Man, and to suffer for us, bearing all of our sins and the sufferings for those sins, that we may be liberated and brought free, released from the bonds and shackles which Satan has imposed on us, that is sin, the wickedness within our body, heart and soul, the disease of the soul that separated us from our loving God.

Many of us think that we are perfectly healthy, capable of doing many things we want in life, and many of us think of ourselves as unassailable and invincible, and great as well, because of our achievements and many other things. However, do we realise that all of us are truly afflicted with the sickness of sin? All of us without exception, all of mankind save for Christ alone are subjected to sin and corrupted by it in one way or another.

That is why our Lord who loves us, desires that we be brought to Him and be healed from the affliction of sin. He offered nothing else more precious and greater than Himself, as the Lamb of Sacrifice, offered on the Altar of Calvary, shedding His own Blood and offering it with His Body as a pleasing sacrifice to God, so that by that act of ultimate love and sacrifice, He purchased us and freed us from the slavery and bondage under Satan, and paid for our sinfulness in full.

And that is what Satan fears very much, his ultimate and greatest defeat, when mankind was snatched from his grasp and he knew of his ultimate defeat at the hands of the triumphant Lord. Even the devil knows that he has to submit and acknowledge his defeat before the Lord no matter how much he refused to do so and no matter how reluctant he was.

Therefore, today, as we continue to live our lives faithfully, we have to realise that our hope lies only in the Lord, for it is only He who is the source of salvation and life that can deliver us from the hands of the evil one and his allies. We cannot triumph and succeed on our own, but with the Lord on our side, nothing is impossible. Let us all ask the Lord to come to us and heal us from our afflictions of sin, and remove from us this corruption from our souls, minds, bodies and hearts.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Hilary of Poitiers, one of the greatest and most influential early Church father, whose works and teachings still profoundly affect many of the faithful and the Church of God even until today. St. Hilary of Poitiers was born a Roman pagan, but after studying the Scriptures thoroughly, he became convinced of the salvation which only our Lord God can offer, and he and his family converted to the true Faith.

At that time, many of the faithful came under the sway of the lies of the devil, and by the devil’s machinations, many were lost in the heresy as espoused and preached by Arius, now known as the Arian heresy. Arianism swept like wildfire across Christendom and caught many countless souls among its victims. Many went into hellfire and condemnation because they were swayed and tempted by the lies of the devil.

St. Hilary of Poitiers worked hard to reverse all that and saved as many souls as he could from the clutches of the devil. He succeeded in converting many but his path was not easy. It is often that those who have been ensnared in the lies of the devil and who had power, used that power to persecute the faithful ones, including St. Hilary of Poitiers. But St. Hilary never gave up and until the end of his life he continued to minister to the people of God and call them to repent from their sins. This is indeed an example we all should follow in our own lives.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all the children of God and the members of His Church commit ourselves anew to reject Satan and all of his false promises and lies. With the intercession and the help of St. Hilary of Poitiers, let us cast aside his sweet words and falsehoods and instead put our complete trust and faith in God alone. Yes, we ought to put our trust in He who had given His all for our sake so that we may be healed and freed from sin. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

 

First Reading : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/12/tuesday-13-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-hilary-bishop-and-doctor-of-the-church-first-reading/

 

Psalm : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/12/tuesday-13-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-hilary-bishop-and-doctor-of-the-church-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/12/tuesday-13-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-hilary-bishop-and-doctor-of-the-church-gospel-reading/

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Monday, 12 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we begin the Ordinary Time proper, and traditionally, today is still the season of Christmas as well, which will end only at the second of February, at the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary or which we now know more commonly as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Thus, as we continue the readings from the past few days, we know that yesterday as we commemorate the Feast of our Lord’s Baptism, His mission on earth began from that moment onwards.

Thus in the Gospel today, we heard about the calling of the Apostles, beginning with those at the shore of the Lake of Galilee, including St. Andrew, the first called among the Apostles, his brother Simon Peter, who would become St. Peter, the chief of the Apostles and Christ’s Vicar on earth, as well as the two sons of Zebedee, St. James and St. John the Evangelist. They were the first of the disciples of Christ, who accompanied Him from the very beginning of His earthly ministry.

And in the first reading, from the Letter and Epistle the Hebrews, it was highlighted of the special nature of the mission which Christ had come into the world for. This Epistle was written specifically for the Jewish Christians and maybe also to the Jews, hoping that through it they would believe in Christ and follow Him, and therefore, many parts of this Epistle relate what had happened in the past eras of Israel, of the time of the prophets and the patriarchs with what Jesus Christ our Lord had done.

In the past God did not speak directly with His people except with several chosen and special individuals, who had been given the grace to speak with God, to receive the messages of the Lord by vision or speech, and in some cases even to see God directly face to face as Moses had been, and as Abraham had as well. The others whom God spoke to directly were His prophets and messengers whom He had sent to His people to be His mouthpiece and the ones to proclaim to them the words of the Lord.

But God also gave His people a prophecy of the time to come, when God no longer would speak through the prophets, but would instead directly speak to His people, and not just that, but even for Him to walk directly among His people, that they may see Him face to face. And all these were accomplished in the person of Jesus Christ, the Word of God and the Son of God, who came into the world and was incarnated into the flesh of Man.

Thus God spoke no longer through intermediaries but He spoke directly and plainly to His people through Jesus Christ, and He walked among them, showing them how good and great His love for them is. And that is why He bothered to come to us, so that He may directly bring about our salvation and liberation from the enslavement and tyranny of sin. For our sins and wickedness are so great that it requires nothing less than the effort of Christ to bring us to salvation and freedom.

But in that work and effort, Christ did not do it alone by Himself, but He sought the help and participation of men themselves, some of whom He called to be His disciples and followers, and through them, He would work many wonders. They would be the extensions of His love to mankind, and through their works as the servants of God and as the bearers of God’s Good News, many knew of the love of God and were stirred to seek Him and be saved.

But this did not just end there, brothers and sisters in Christ, as many people remain in the darkness and have yet to see the Light of Christ. They have yet to receive the Good News of our Lord’s salvation and they have yet to witness His love for us. That is why God called His disciples, whom He turned from being fishermen as well as of other professions, into the fishers of men. They were to bring mankind to God by introducing to them the Good News, being witnesses of the Faith they had professed.

And this continues even today, brothers and sisters in Christ, as many remains out in the darkness and enslaved to sin. It is our duty then as the followers of Christ and as the members of His Church to continue the good works of Christ and His Apostles, that is to preach the Good News of the Lord to mankind, to our fellow brethren who have yet to hear of it. We cannot be idle or worse to cause people to be misguided or lose the desire to seek the Lord, and that is why we have to live out our faith with real action and works, so that our faith is not just an empty profession but a real, genuine and living faith.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all reaffirm our faith in God, by carrying out the works entrusted to us by Christ our Lord. We shall not be idle anymore and remain aloof to the plight of our brethren, but we shall make use of the gifts which God had bestowed on us, and help each other, so that together we may all be justified by our faith and actions, and together receive the glory of heaven everlasting. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/11/monday-12-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/11/monday-12-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/11/monday-12-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-gospel-reading/

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Monday, 12 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 1 : 14-20

At that time, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”

As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fish for people.” At once, they abandoned their nets and followed Him.

Jesus went a little farther on and saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee; they were in their boat mending their nets. Immediately Jesus called them and they followed Him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/11/monday-12-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-homily-and-scripture-reflections/