GOD'S ENVOYS - 3rd Sunday in Ord. Time

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Based on  Mark 1: 14-20 (Gospel), Jon. 3:1-5, 10 (1^st Rdng.), and1 Cor. 7:29-31 (2^nd Rdng.)

From the series “Reflections and Teachings from the Desert”

GOD’S ENVOYS

An Envoy  is an official representative, or somebody acting as a diplomat on behalf of a national government or sent as its official messenger. (Mid 17th century French envoye, past participle of envoyer “send”, assumed Vulgar Latin inviare “put on the way” (Latin via “way”).

An “apostle” is a Jewish title that means ‘envoy’, cf. Jn. 13:16; 2 Co. 8:23; Ph. 2:25, sometimes used in the NT for the Twelve chosen by Christ, Mt. 10 (see note b of Rm. 1:1).

Today’s gospel talks about Jesus preaching to people the good news of the coming of God’s kingdom on earth and the need for the repentance of the people.Because of this ,he was the first one to serve as God’s envoy before he appointed the Twelve as his own apostles or envoys.

Today’s first reading, taken from Jonah 3:1-5 and 10, talks about the work of the prophet Jonah as God’s envoy to the city of Nineveh, which was said to be a sinful city at that time. The city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire at its height (about 705-612 BC), was situated on the Tigris River in northern Iraq, opposite the modern city of Mosul.

Today’s second reading, from 1 Cor. 7:29-31, talks about the lifestyle that an envoy should have and the message which an envoy should speak to his listeners.