“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
MARK1:15
Jesus begins His public ministry with a call to repentance and faith in the good news (the Gospel) that the kingdom of God is near. This message emphasizes the immediate necessity to turn away from sin and turn towards faith in God’s promises. It’s a call to spiritual transformation and renewal.
In the heart of time's grand hall, echoes a divine call, "This is the time of fulfillment, hear the chime, the kingdom of God is no longer a climb. No need for a distant quest, it's at hand, in every grain of sand, in every land, understand, it's not about command, but a love so grand. Repent, not with lament, but with intent to reinvent and consent to a life well spent. Believe in the gospel, let your faith ripple, not a doctrine simple but a sacred symbol of love's eternal principle. So, heed the call, stand tall, in the kingdom of God we install, a world of love, for one and all."
12 The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, 13 and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. 14 After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: 15 “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:12-15)
Lord Jesus, we come before You in humility, recognizing this is the time of fulfillment, in tranquility. We acknowledge Your kingdom is not far, but at hand, in our hearts, in our lives, in every strand. We repent for our missteps, our sins we disband, seeking Your grace, on holy ground we stand. We turn from our old ways, on Your path we land, with contrite hearts, we adhere to Your command. We believe in the gospel, Your love so grand, Your sacrifice, Your redemption, Your reprimand. Help us to live by Your word, in it we expand, In faith, in hope, in love, together we band. Guide us, O Lord, with Your gentle hand, in Your kingdom of God, help us understand. This is the time of fulfillment, as You planned, we repent, and believe in the gospel, as a burning brand. With much love, praise, and thanksgiving we pray. Amen.
God made a covenant with Noah (and all living beings) after the Great Flood. The “bow” in the clouds refers to the rainbow, which is seen as a symbol of this covenant. In this context, God promises that He will never again send a flood to destroy all life on earth. It’s a powerful message of God’s mercy and the enduring promise between God and all living creatures.
8 God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. 11 I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.” 12 God added: “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you:13 I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings.” (Genesis 9:8-15)
When clouds gather over the earth in a grand array, and the bow appears, painting the sky in a colorful play, it's a divine reminder, a celestial display of a covenant made, a promise that will forever stay. "I will recall the covenant," says the divine voice, between me and you, and all life, it's our joint choice. A pact of preservation, making every heart rejoice, a promise echoing through time, in every echo and noise. No more shall waters become a flood, a destructive force, no more shall life be swept away, off its course. The bow in the clouds, a symbol, a resource of a promise kept, from an eternal source. So when you see the bow, remember the tale of a covenant made, a promise that will never fail. A sign of hope, when dark clouds prevail, a reminder of a bond, a love that will never pale.
Father in heaven, You are the Lord of all creation, we stand in awe. When clouds cover the earth, and Your bow appears in the raw, a symbol of Your covenant, without flaw, a promise made, a truth we saw. "When I bring clouds over the earth," You say, "And the bow appears in the clouds, in a colorful array, I will recall the covenant, come what may, between me and you, and all living beings, in the light of day. The waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings, to turn life into mud. This is my promise, sealed in blood, a covenant of love, stronger than a bud." We thank You, Lord, for Your promise so divine, for Your mercy, for Your love, for Your sign. Help us to remember, when the sun doesn't shine that Your covenant stands, in the rainbow's line. In Jesus most holy name, we pray, Amen.
Humility is a virtue that opens one up to learning and understanding God’s ways and His concept of justice. Pray that God will always remember His mercy and love, which have been constant from time immemorial and have a deep faith in God’s unchanging nature and His everlasting kindness.
4 Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths. 5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. 6 Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your love are from of old. 7 In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord. 8 Good and upright is the Lord; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way. (Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9)
Remember, O Lord, Your compassion so bold, Your love that is from of old, unchanging, unfailing, more precious than gold. In Your mercy, our hearts enfold. Your love, O Lord, from time untold, a love so deep, it cannot be sold. In every tale of Your grace retold, Your compassion and love, we behold. From the dawn of creation, Your love took hold, in every heartbeat, Your love is extolled. Your compassion, O Lord, makes us bold, a testament of Your love from of old. So, we remember, as the days unfold, Your compassion, O Lord, and Your love from of old.
In every moment, in every threshold, Your love and compassion, our hands uphold.
Father in heaven, Lord of all ages, we come before You with hearts open wide, seeking Your view. "Remember that Your compassion, O Lord, and Your love are from of old," is our chord. From the dawn of time, Your love has been our fort, Your compassion our comfort, our last resort. In times of joy, in times of ordeal, Your love from of old, our wounds it does heal. So we pray, O Lord, in Your love we bask, for Your compassion, we humbly ask. Help us to reflect Your love so vast from this moment forward, as in the past. In Jesus' most holy name, we pray, Amen.
This reading from the First Letter of Peter draws a parallel between the salvation of Noah and his family during the flood and the spiritual salvation offered through baptism. In the story of Noah, the floodwaters that destroyed the earth also lifted the ark, saving Noah and his family. Similarly, baptism is not about physical cleansing but rather a pledge of a good conscience towards God, made possible by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It underscores the belief in baptism as a sacrament of initiation and purification, and a sign of one’s faith in the redeeming power of Christ’s resurrection.
18 Beloved: Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit. 19 In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, 20 who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. 21 This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him. (1 Peter 3:18-22)
In the days of Noah, patience was God's art, while the ark was building, He played His part. Eight souls were saved, a new start, through water, a symbol, a divine chart. This prefigured baptism, a sacred rite which saves you now, in God's sight. Not a mere cleansing in the light but an appeal to God with all your might. For a clear conscience, pure and bright, through the resurrection of Jesus, the eternal knight. Not a removal of dirt, not a physical fight but a spiritual journey, taking flight. So remember the ark, remember the dove, remember the promise from above. Baptism is more than you can conceive, tt's about faith, about what you believe.
Father in heaven, Lord of all time, who patiently waited in the days of Noah, Your love unabated. Eight souls saved through water, as You stated, a prefiguration of baptism, divinely created. We thank You for this sacrament, which saves us now, not a removal of dirt, but a sacred vow. An appeal to You for a clear conscience, we bow, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we avow. Help us remember, in every ark we build, Your patience, Your promise, by Your love instilled. Guide us to justice, let our hearts be filled, teach us Your way, in Your love we are thrilled. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.
Pericope:
II: The Mystery of Jesus
THE BEGINNING OF THE GALILEAN MINISTRY / THE CALL OF THE FIRST DISCIPLES
Mark 1:12-15
I: The Primeval History
COVENANT WITH NOAH
Genesis 9:1-17
First Book of Psalms 1-41
CONFIDENT PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS AND GUIDANCE
Psalm 25:1-22
III: The Christian in a Hostile World
CHRISTIAN SUFFERING
1 Peter 3:13-22
