Today is the Sunday of the Word of God. It is a special day to meditate on the relevance of the Word of God in our lives; how the Word of God transforms us, helps us to understand the nature of our existence and how we ought to live, and ultimately draws us closer to God.
In Today’s first reading, we read how Jonah obeyed God’s word and went into the City of Nineveh to deliver a message of the impending destruction of the city due to their evil behaviour. When the people heard the message, they responded with urgency from the greatest to the least, declared a fast, and put on sackcloth, an act depicting acknowledgement of sin and repentance. Thus, God, in His mercy, relents from the disaster He had planned.
In the second reading, St Paul emphasizes the transient nature of this world. He urges believers to live in light of the imminent return of Christ, recognising that the things of this world are passing away. His message reminds us how we can be so much into pursuing the transient things of the world that we forget the brevity of this life and lose the mindfulness of our ultimate citizenship of heaven.
In the gospel reading, we heard about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry after the arrest of John the Baptist. He preached the urgent gospel of repentance. During this time of preaching the message by the sea of Galilee, he called some of His disciples who were fishermen and brothers: Simon and Andrew, James and John. They responded to the call with an expression of urgency; they left everything and followed Jesus.
This Sunday of the Word of God is an opportunity for us to reflect on how we assimilate the Word of God promptly and without delay. Our life on earth is short. We need to make the best use of it by doing what God’s word tells us with a sense of urgency. His word tells us today to repent of our sins because He is coming soon, His kingdom is close at hand, and He will reward each of us according to our deeds.