3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
January 21, 2024
Mass Readings for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
- First Reading – Jonah 3:1-5, 10: “So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD’S bidding.”
- Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 25: “Teach me your ways, O Lord.”
- Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 7:29-31: “I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out. … For the world in its present form is passing away.”
- 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.”
Themes for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
The readings for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B invite us to be transformed by the call of Jesus. In the first reading, Jonah hears God’s call and sets off for Nineveh. The psalm asks God to show us the path he desires for us. The second reading tells us that the world as we know it is passing away. The Gospel recounts Jesus call for repentance and the call of Simon Peter and Andrew.
- Evangelization
- Vocations
- Discipleship
- Listening to God
- Answering God’s call
- Repentance
See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.
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Resources for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Abandon Your Nets
This reflection will help youth understand what they need to leave behind in order to have the freedom to follow Jesus. When Jesus called his disciples, it tells us that they abandoned their nets. Their nets were what allowed them to support themselves and their families. This was a huge act of trust.
Litany of the Call to Discipleship
This Litany of the Call to Discipleship asks our Lord to give us the grace to be His disciples. It focuses on various people in the gospel and asks for the grace to answer His call as they did.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders
Holy Orders is a sacrament of the Catholic Church by which a man is ordained to be a deacon, priest, or bishop. It is a sacrament of service.
Suscipe Prayer (Take Lord Receive Prayer)
This prayer was written by St. Ignatius of Loyola. It reflects his belief that all we have is given to us to serve and reverence God. Therefore, we should not hold on to tightly to our wealth, our health, situation in life, etc. We must be willing to offer everything back to God for Him to use as he wills.
Ah So Co Game
This game is all about following directions. It is also about saying and doing the right thing at the right time.
Pray for More Vocations to the Priesthood
God calls us all to a specific vocation. So we should pray that those being called to the priesthood will hear and answer that call.
Pass It On
This game only requires some rolls of toilet paper and can be played indoors or outdoors. It works well with an evangelization theme.
Homilies and Reflections for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Going Fishing
Jeff Cavins draws the connections between fishing and evangelizing. Going fishing requires some preparation.
A Day In the Life of A Priest
In this video, Fr. John Muir shows us what a typical day is for him. What does he do? Goes for an early morning run, makes breakfast, says morning prayer, listens to his favorite music, does outreach on a university campus, says mass (five minutes late), has Chinese food for lunch with a brother priest, does some administrative work, hears confessions, and more.
Accepting Our Mission from God
From Bishop Robert Barron. “Like Jonah and the apostles, we are all called to do difficult things. Imagine what would happen if every one of us answered the call of God?”
Following Him
From Scott Hahn. “We can respond to the call for repentance. The people of Ninevah repented when they heard Jonah’s message. And we have someone greater – Jesus Christ.” Continue reading.
Radical Christianity
Also from Bishop Barron. “When Christianity is reduced to deism or moralism, we turn the Gospel into a faint echo of the surrounding culture. But today’s readings propose something much more substantive than spiritual bromides or ethical directives. They suggest a new world breaking into the old.”
More Thoughts for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Fishing with Jesus
Jesus knew he would need some help for his mission. So the first thing he does is gather up some fishermen to accompany him on the journey. Why fishermen? They were used to hard work. And while they might have not been “well educated” they were intelligent since they had to know how to sail a ship, read the weather, and manage their financial affairs. But most of all, they knew what it took to catch fish.
Fishing requires patience and perseverance. We know that sometimes they might fish all night and never catch anything. They needed to be flexible enough to try a different method or location when things weren’t going their way. They were not ruled by fear, for fishing was dangerous work, especially when they had to head to deeper waters. These are all traits we can use in evangelizing also.
Reflection Questions for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
- What are my strongest skills for evangelizing?
- Do I practice patience and perseverance?
- What do I hear Jesus calling me to do today?
Quotes and Social Media Graphics for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
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 abandoned their nets and followed him.
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