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| “Call of the Sons of Zebedee” by Marco Basaiti, 1510 |
Reading from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Hebrews 1:1-6
Brothers and sisters:
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways
to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son,
whom he made heir of all things
and through whom he created the universe,
who is the refulgence of his glory,
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
as far superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
For to which of the angels did God ever say:
You are my Son; this day I have begotten you?
Or again:
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a Son to me?
And again, when he leads the first born into the world, he says:
Let all the angels of God worship him.
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Commentary on Heb 1:1-6
“The letter (to the Hebrews) opens with an introduction consisting of a reflection on the climax of God's revelation to the human race in his Son. The divine communication was initiated and maintained during Old Testament times in fragmentary and varied ways through the prophets (Hebrews 1:1), including Abraham, Moses, and all through whom God spoke. But now in these last days (Hebrews 1:2), the final age, God's revelation of his saving purpose is achieved through a son, i.e., one who is Son, whose role is redeemer and mediator of creation. He was made heir of all things through his death and exaltation to glory, yet he existed before he appeared as man; through him God created the universe. Hebrews 1:3-4, which may be based upon a liturgical hymn, assimilate [sic] the Son to the personified Wisdom of the Old Testament as refulgence of God's glory and imprint of his being (Hebrews 1:3; cf. Wisdom 7:26).”[4]
While the book is attributed to St. Paul from the earliest times in the Church (St. Clement of Alexandria and Eusebius of Caesarea in the third century), we note that the introduction lacks any mention of the identity of the author and hence has caused wide debate (Origen accepted it only as Pauline thought but argued that the language and style were not like his other letters). Regardless of its authorship, it has been part of the canon of Sacred Scriptures from the late second century A.D. onward, and tradition holds that St. Paul was responsible for its publication even if he did not dictate it.
In addition to the lack of a standard greeting as part of the introduction, we note another emphasis which gives us insight into how the Christian community viewed the transformative event of the revelation brought through Christ. Using the phrase, “in these last days,” the author provides a sense that the “Christ event” was seen as the end of an age of mankind and the beginning of another (see also Isaiah 2:2, Jeremiah 23:20, Ezekiel 38:16, and Daniel 10:14). The content establishes Jesus’ supreme position as one in essence with the Father.
CCC: Heb 1:1-3 102; Heb 1:1-2 65; Heb 1:3 241, 320, 2502, 2777, 2795; Heb 1:6 333
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 97:1 and 2b, 6 and 7c, 9
R. (see 7c) Let all his angels worship him.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Let all his angels worship him.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
Let all his angels worship him.
R. Let all his angels worship him.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
R. Let all his angels worship him.
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Commentary on Ps 97:1 and 2b, 6 and 7c, 9
Psalm 97 is hymn praising God in his majesty. The first strophes provide us with an image of God appearing in a storm and fire, a picture reminiscent of Elijah’s ascension recounted in Sirach and proclaimed in 2 Kings 2:1. Following the introduction of Letter to the Hebrews, the song picks up the image of the heavenly throne and the glory of that scene.
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Gospel: Mark 1:14-20
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
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Commentary on Mk 1:14-20
It is noteworthy to observe that all of the Gospel accounts show Jesus beginning his public ministry after the active ministry of St. John the Baptist has ended. The “Voice” decreases while the “Word” increases. We see the charismatic power of the Lord in the call of the first disciples from St. Mark’s Gospel. They follow him without inducement beyond his simple invitation to follow him. It is also notable that three of these first four, Simon, James, and John, develop the closest relationships with the Lord of all the disciples.
CCC: Mk 1:15 541, 1423, 1427; Mk 1:16-20 787
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Reflection:
The grand Christmas celebration has ended and we begin our worship of the fullness of Christ, designated “Ordinary Time.” The Church uses the word differently than it is applied in common usage. The easiest way to understand it is actually to invert the definitions of ordinary and extraordinary with “ordinary” having the elevated or special place where extraordinary would be a less prestigious exception. Perhaps the best example of this terminology is when we look at the example of the sacrament of confirmation. The “ordinary” minister of the sacrament is the bishop of the diocese in which the sacrament takes place. He can (and often does) delegate this authority to the priests of his diocese who are “extraordinary” ministers of the sacrament. We can see that Ordinary Time is far from ordinary in the common use of the term.
We begin this consideration of the fullness of Christ with beginnings. The Gospel tells us of the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry from St. Mark’s account. We hear the Lord’s mission unfold in what sounds very similar to the call of the Baptist, at least at first. “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
We immediately see something amazing though. As Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee he calls to Simon and Andrew who are fishing. Mark does not tell us about the discipleship relationship that had existed between Andrew and St. John the Baptist that we hear in St. Luke’s Gospel. We are just told that he calls to them: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They “left their nets,” they dropped their means of livelihood, essentially the most important things they owned, and followed him. Walking further Jesus encounters James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Again he calls to them. No explanation, just “he called them,” and they left their father, their family and followed him.
We begin to see the cost of discipleship in this short story. In no uncertain terms we are shown that the Lord’s most favored disciples did not need to be convinced by rhetoric or won over by long friendship. They heard the voice of Jesus and left all that was important in their lives, profession and family, to follow him. Their faith in God had somehow prepared them to hear and understand that it was the Son of God who called them.
The lesson we hear today takes what we have built during Advent and the Christmas season and pushes it to the next level. We have heard the Lord’s call. Now what shall we do? Our prayer today is that, like those first disciples, we can hear the Lord’s voice and have faith and that we can place his mission first, in front of work and in front of even family in our hearts.
Pax
[1] The picture today is “Call of the Sons of Zebedee” by Marco Basaiti, 1510.
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] NAB footnote on Hebrews 1:1-4.
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