Change the World with Faith and Hope

Jonah 3:1-5

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Mark 1:14-20

Divine Inspiration

Today’s gospel is the beginning of the formation of the apostles.  They are truly walking away from their current lives to follow a man they barely know.  It’s likely they’ve heard of him.  John had been proclaiming His coming.  And, Jesus was starting to become known among the people.  But still, they hardly knew Him, let alone have enough time to make that huge, life-changing decision to follow Him.  This is true faith.  This is one of the greatest examples we have of faith.  But, it’s not just faith.  It’s hope – hope for a better life, a more fulfilling life and the chance to change the world. 

Neither this faith nor hope are or were limited to the apostles.  We have the opportunity to choose faith and hope every day when we wake up.  In recent years, the phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?” has become extremely popular and spoken by many.  In fact, one of the greatest golfers of all time – Payne Stewart – wore a bracelet that had the letters, “WWJD” on it when he won the Masters at Pinehurst in 1999.  Why?  Because these are the folks who choose to live by that same faith in Jesus and hope for changing the world as the apostles did.  It’s as easy as that – recognizing the moment of opportunity and then considering how Jesus would handle it, not necessarily what we might be inclined to do.  One simple action – doing what Christ would do – changes the world for the better. 

Gandhi said to his followers, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”  It all starts with us and how we choose to live.  Every day is a new day.  If you get it wrong one day, that’s ok.  You’ll get another chance to live by faith and hope, changing the world one moment and one opportunity at a time.

Amen.

Readings and Inspiration from Sunday, January 22, 2012.