At Ninive, a pagan and corrupt city, a prophet of God is sent to announce a grave punishment for the sins of its inhabitants. The prophet is Jona, a dissobidient man, infact he tried to avoid to fulfill the mission God had given him, and unable to find in his heart mercy! The pagan and corrupt citizens of Ninive don’t let themselves being conditioned by the weakness of the preacher: they listen to the Word of God that comes to them from mouth of man, and change their lives! And God changes His plans: He would not do what He wanted to do: He is the God who loives man and wishes not the punishment, but salvation!

Today’s liturgy, after showing this prophet, points to us Jesus, who begins his preaching inviting all for conversion. It seems that He wanted to continue of John the Baptist’s mission, since this one was in prision. Mark presents us with Jesus’ message in four short phrases: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." They are short phrases but rich and new in their meaning.

The Jews were in waiting for the "day" of God, the time in which the promises were to be fulfilled for His people, time of joy, fullness of life, of freedom! It was suppose to be too a time of wrath and suffering for the enemies of the freedom of the people, a judgement time therefore: a guarantee of salvation for the poor and those who were waiting for an intervention from on high!

If "The time is fulfilled", the reign of God is imminent, already present, at hand. God guides His people and send the King that represents Him definitively. Those who hate Jesus dont see nothing new: Herode in Galilee keep reigning, while Pilate is in Judea. The only new thing is the same person of Jesus, that gives hope while looking for persons to form a group around Him and perform miracles, a sign of God’s presence among the people.

The proclamation of Jesus comprehends two comands.He asks for a change of mentalità: repent! As if He wants to say: dont wait anymore, stop thinking that there is nothing to do, dont think that God had forgotten you, that He cannot interven in history, or that His intervention is still far away. Believe in the gospel! Trust the good news that I have proclaimed to you: enjoy the new times, rejoice for the kingdom, enter into it without fear! Believe on the basis of the good news that I have given you. God loves you and now He shall show you His love! God is truly with you! Your faith in God should not be like the one you had before, full of fear of His punishments for sins, your faith should be full for joy for you believe that He loves you as never before!

Jesus Himself is the first to believe the novelty, and believes so much in calling "normal" men to follow Him. He doesnt call lazy people, but men who know what they do, committed to a family, in society, at work. He calls two brother, then another two. He calls them and make them a promise. He calls them to follow Him unconditionally, and promise, that He shall make them capable of helping others out of danger and death. Fishers of men! The fisherman bring out the fish from the sea, the fisher of men saves other men from all that threatens their lives and scatter them.

In this way Jesus realize His preaching. He doesn’t say words, but gathers around a group who starts to see the presence of the reign of God!

Mark shows us also how quick the first to called answered. The reign announced by Jesus is worthy more than work, more than family, more than society, more than economical security. They followed Him!

This word remain alive in our ears and penetreates our heart: The followed Him: a word that pushes us to do the same. How?

St. Paul shows us a way: let us start with our feelings, those sacred like the feeling between a husband and a wife, as less important in my relationship with Jesus! Let us retain that the things we possess, mobile and immobile riches, as instruments of the reign of God, not letting them condition us.

Let us hold that our emotions of joy and suffering as not definit but that there are always events more important than those that might make us either laugh or cry! The presence of Jesus should be more important to me. It is true, it’s the only truth that can move my heart, and moves it to hope, even so, to the joy of being loved by God. The presence of Jesus worth changing the way we think: I am loved by God!

We make Him see it by our joy at heart!