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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) - True Fulfillment

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) - True Fulfillment

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Catholic Daily Reflections

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Short reflections on the Gospel of the day, from My Catholic Life!

Religion & Spiritualität

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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.” Mark 1:14–15

Jesus begins His public ministry immediately after being tempted by
the devil while in the desert for forty days. As He begins His
ministry, He declares: “This is the time of fulfillment.” First,
the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry was, historically speaking,
the “time of fulfillment,” in that the new era of the Gospel and
grace had just begun. But the “time of fulfillment” of which Jesus
speaks also refers to each and every time that we hear the Gospel
and respond. We do this by sincerely repenting of our sins and by
becoming a fuller member of God’s Kingdom. But ponder for a moment
the specific word “fulfillment.” What does this mean?

The word “fulfilled” can be contrasted with its opposite
“unfulfilled.” To be unfulfilled is always undesirable. In this
world, many people find themselves unfulfilled and try to fill this
void with many things. Interestingly, the three temptations that
Jesus had just experienced in the desert are among the temptations
that so many people give into during their search for fulfillment
in life.

First, Jesus was hungry, and the devil tempted Him to turn stones
into bread to satiate that hunger. This is a temptation to fleshly
fulfillment. Second, the devil tempted Jesus to throw Himself off
the pinnacle of the Temple to prove He was the Son of God. This is
a temptation to fulfillment by pride—pride to convince another of
one’s importance and identity. Third, the devil showed Jesus all
the nations of the world and promised them to our Lord if Jesus
worshiped him. This is a temptation to fulfillment by obtaining
earthly wealth and power. Of course, Jesus rejected all three
temptations as a way of showing that none of these truly fulfill
us. And He did this just prior to the beginning of His public
ministry so as to then go forth preaching the true message of
fulfillment. “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God
is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

True fulfillment is only found in the Gospel, the message of Truth
that Jesus shared during His three years of public ministry and
then brought to completion by His sacrificial death and
resurrection. Only those who heed His words and open themselves to
the grace poured forth from the Cross are able to find the
fulfillment that they seek.

Reflect, today, upon your own interior desire for fulfillment in
life. How do you try to satiate this desire? Do you allow the evil
one to trick you into thinking that fleshly desires, pride or
wealth are the answer? Reject those temptations with our Lord and
then immerse yourself in His Gospel message, which is the only
source of fulfillment in life.

Lord of true fulfillment, You and You alone are the source of
the fullness of life. I believe that with all my heart. Please give
me the grace I need to reject all temptations in life and to cling
only to Your holy Word and the grace given to all who follow You.
Jesus, I trust in You.

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