MEDITATION TIP —
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 21, 2024

‘They immediately left their nets and followed him’ (Mark 1:18).

　From these words I imagine that the two disciples, Simon and Andrew, were still young men. The reason for this is that they immediately put into action what they thought. As we grow older and more experienced, we tend to become cautious and seek stability. However, the characteristic of young people is that they take action as soon as they have an idea. For them, the encounter with Jesus left a great impression. Emotion leads people to action and to growth. However, human growth usually involves risk. But if we are afraid to take risks and don’t try, human growth will be slow. One could say that not taking risks is the biggest risk of all. The disciples’ following of Jesus was at the same time a big hardship and a risk. The hardship was their betrayal of Jesus on the night of His Passion, when they abandoned their beloved Jesus, and the risk was, like Jesus, suffering and death. The betrayal was certainly the biggest hardship in the lives of the disciples. But it was through that betrayal that they came to know the true love of Jesus.

　In the midst of life’s hardships, we sometimes feel like we are the only one who has to go through this. But it is all a matter of how we perceive it, a matter of perspective. We can make a leap forward in life by finding opportunities in the midst of the hardships. By seeing a hardship as an opportunity and saying “thank you” for it, you will be able to relax and things will turn around. “No education can compare to adversity” (Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom). At such times, we can say, “On cold days when flowers do not bloom, grow roots down to the bottom of the soil, and eventually a blooming spring will come and magnificent flowers will bloom” (Masaatsu Yasuoka).

　Just as for the disciples, their encounter with Jesus changed their lives, for us, too, encounters are a great signpost in our lives. That signpost could be a friend. The book of Sira says, “A faithful friend is a firm refuge. Find that friend and you have found a treasure. A faithful friend is irreplaceable, and its great value is inestimable. A faithful friend is the medicine that preserves life.” (6:14-16). But it is not always our friends who provide the impetus for our conversion. I am talking about Monica, the mother of the great saint Augustine. When she was a child, her father ordered her to go to the cellar every night to get some wine. One day, she tasted the wine and found it delicious. So, she tasted it every day, and the more she tasted, the more she drank, and eventually she drank a full glass without any problem. One day, Monica got into an argument with a servant girl in the house, who called her a “drunkard.” Monica thought no one was watching her, but in fact the girl knew that Monica was secretly drinking wine. Since then, Monica stopped drinking wine. Augustine himself said that it is often the enemy rather than a good friend who gives us the opportunity to undergo a conversion.

 　　　　　(Contributed by Father Akabae)