Fishers of Men

12Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 
15  “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, 
          on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — 
16  the people who sat in darkness 
          have seen a great light, 
     and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death 
          light has dawned.” 
17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Matthew 4:12-23

 

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Ceiling Painting for St Bede’s (detail)

KOENIG, Peter Winfried

20th Century

St Bede’s Church

Newport Pagnell

England

 

 

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Ceiling Painting for St Bede’s at Newport Pagnell

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Our lives begin to end

the day we become

silent about things that matter.

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

 

Fear is a poor chisel with which

To carve out tomorrow.

~ Anne Frank

(Quoting her father)

 

 

 

 

 

Chew and Chat

Mount Vernon Canyon Club

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Karla Byrd, Marilee Ross, Sondra Kellogg

 

Happy Late Birthday, Sondra!

Chocolate Factory

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Sondra Kellogg, Kimra Perkins, Carolyn Alexander

Yum!

 

YOUTH

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of
the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing, child-like appetite of what’s next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.

~ Samuel Ullman *

 

January 25, 2026  Third Sunday after the Epiphany - Year A 

              Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Previous OPQs may be found at:

     http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm

 

*  Samuel Ullman (April 13, 1840 - March 21, 1924) was an American businessman, poet, humanitarian.  He is best known today for his poem, Youth, which was a favorite of General Douglas MacArthur.  The poem was on the wall of his office in Tokyo when he became Supreme Allied Commander in Japan.  In addition, he often quoted from the poem in his speeches, leading to it becoming better known in Japan than in the United States.

The full version of the poem may be found here:           http://boomersint.com/youth.htm

 

Our father carried this in his wallet, written on the back of one of his business cards.  Jack (Baby Brother) still has the card.

 

 

1   The LORD is my light and my salvation; 
          whom shall I fear? 
     The LORD is the stronghold of my life; 
          of whom shall I be afraid?

4   One thing I asked of the LORD, 
          that will I seek after: 
     to live in the house of the LORD 
          all the days of my life, 
     to behold the beauty of the LORD, 
          and to inquire in his temple.

5   For he will hide me in his shelter 
          in the day of trouble; 
     he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; 
          he will set me high on a rock.

6   Now my head is lifted up 
          above my enemies all around me, 
     and I will offer in his tent 
          sacrifices with shouts of joy; 
     I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

7   Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, 
          be gracious to me and answer me! 
8   “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” 
          Your face, LORD, do I seek. 
9        Do not hide your face from me.

     Do not turn your servant away in anger, 
          you who have been my help. 
     Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, 
          O God of my salvation!

Psalm 27:1, 4-9

 

Agnus Day, by James Weinstein

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Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org

 

 

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Isaiah 9:1-4

 

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LECTIONARY

Isaiah 9:1-4

Psalm 27:1, 5-13

Corinthians 1:10-18

Matthew 4:12-23

 

Jesus said to Simon and his brother Andrew, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4: 12-23

THE WORD:

Galilee is the centerpiece of today’s readings.

In Jesus’ time, Galilee was the most populated and productive region of Palestine.  The great roads of the world passed through Galilee, making it a strategic target for invasion.  White-sailed ships crept up the Mediterranean coast from Alexandria and caravans traveled through the region from Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Galilee, unlike the rest of Palestine, had an international perspective, in touch with many non-Jewish ideas and influences.  Josephus, the Roman historian, wrote of the people of Galilee:  “They were fond of innovation and, by nature, disposed to change and delighted in sedition . . . The Galileans were never destitute of courage . . . They were ever more anxious for honor than for gain.”

In a few lines, Matthew sketches a new beginning in human history: the arrest of John and the end of the First Testament; the beginning of a New Testament in the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus in Galilee and the call of the first disciples from their fishing nets along the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus’ beginning his public ministry in Galilee is, for Matthew, the fulfillment of an ancient oracle concerning the Messiah: that, through the darkness of Galilee’s Assyrian captivity, the “great light” of their deliverance will appear (Reading 1).

 

First Reading Isaiah 9:1-4

1But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 
2   The people who walked in darkness 
          have seen a great light; 
     those who lived in a land of deep darkness — 
          on them light has shined. 
3   You have multiplied the nation, 
          you have increased its joy; 
     they rejoice before you 
          as with joy at the harvest, 
          as people exult when dividing plunder. 
4   For the yoke of their burden, 
          and the bar across their shoulders, 
          the rod of their oppressor, 
          you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Psalm 27:1, 4-9

1   The LORD is my light and my salvation; 
          whom shall I fear? 
     The LORD is the stronghold of my life; 
          of whom shall I be afraid?

4   One thing I asked of the LORD, 
          that will I seek after: 
     to live in the house of the LORD 
          all the days of my life, 
     to behold the beauty of the LORD, 
          and to inquire in his temple.

5   For he will hide me in his shelter 
          in the day of trouble; 
     he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; 
          he will set me high on a rock.

6   Now my head is lifted up 
          above my enemies all around me, 
     and I will offer in his tent 
          sacrifices with shouts of joy; 
     I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

7   Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, 
          be gracious to me and answer me! 
8   “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” 
          Your face, LORD, do I seek. 
9        Do not hide your face from me.

     Do not turn your servant away in anger, 
          you who have been my help. 
     Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, 
          O God of my salvation!

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

10Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

18For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Gospel Matthew 4:12-23

12Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 
15  “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, 
          on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — 
16  the people who sat in darkness 
          have seen a great light, 
     and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death 
          light has dawned.” 
17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.