Today’s Gospel tells us about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. After his baptism and temptation in the desert, he began his ministry with a fundamental message and task—the calling of the first disciples. With his message and challenge, he wants to entirely change the direction of our lives. That message is urgent. Jesus knows that we cannot delay. He calls for immediate action.
The Kingdom of God is near; it must be accepted. It must be accepted in two ways: through conversion and faith in the Gospel. Jesus proclaims conversion. To convert means to leave bad things behind and to draw closer to God. It is a radical change in the direction of our thoughts and will, which Jesus demands of us for our good. In the Gospel, Jesus urges and calls, “Repent,” and adds, “And believe the Gospel!”
That message is not only a call to conversion but also a proclamation of the Good News. God cares about our salvation and desires to pour out his grace on us, but he requires that we correct our ways of life. The Apostle Paul once said: “The time is short!” This means that God wants to carry out his plan of love, but we must take care of it ourselves. This situation requires conversion, because time is short. We can no longer wait or postpone. We often cry for reasons that are not really worthy of it, and we rejoice in superficial things. However, we must cry only for what separates us from God and rejoice only in what unites us with Him. Therefore, we must always and everywhere convert. We must renounce our negative inclinations in order to be able to unite ourselves sincerely and truly with God.
It is time to reflect on our conversion, to examine our thoughts, words and deeds, because time is short!
