January 23, 2011 – 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 9: 1-4 1 Cor 1: 10-13, 17-18 Mt 4: 12-23

I’ve heard it said that so-and-so had positioned himself for a raise or that such-and-such was positioned to take advantage of the emerging currents. Positioning is important in so many aspects of our lives and even Jesus positioned himself for maximum exposure of the good news.

Today’s gospel passage tells us that when Jesus heard about John the Baptist’s arrest, Jesus traveled north to Galilee and there he made his home in Capernaum by the sea. This short description of Jesus’ new home twenty miles distant from the hill country of Nazareth where he was raised placed Jesus at a major commercial crossroad. Capernaum was located near the border between Israel and modern-day Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, so it would appear that Jesus was positioning himself to be close to both Gentile cities and the Jewish ones. That would mean maximum exposure to the world! In fact, as we read the gospel accounts and see some of the confrontations between Jesus and his closest disciples, it appears that some of them were critical of Jesus’ contact with Gentiles. Yet, Jesus positioned himself to gain maximum exposure for the good news.

For the Christian who wants to practice good stewardship of the Earth and heal the wounds of pollution, positioning can be very important, too. It has become very clear that even if every Christian recycled used paper, metal, plastics and glass, it would not be enough to impact climate change and pollution. Personal responsibility is important, but our responsibility goes beyond recycling. The utilities that we accept into our homes and businesses, the vehicles that we use for transportation whether we are driving or flying or taking the train, the ways in which our food is grown, transported and marketed all have huge impacts on the climate. At the same time, individual efforts are not sufficient to eliminate these impacts on the environment. No, we need to position ourselves for greater influence with those who have the power to change these elements affecting climate change.

Positioning ourselves for greater impact can be as simple as joining environmental groups that apply pressure to the industries that control travel and farming. By joining together in action groups, we are able to add our voices to those who work for changes in industry. We weight our personal power with the power of many so that we can have greater impact. Some effective environmental groups are listed just below this reflection. We might begin by exploring their web sites and seeing how we can become a voice for change. All of these environmental groups publish links to other environmental groups that may appeal to us or that are close to our neighborhood’s concerns.

As Christians, we take our cues from Jesus who repositioned himself for the mission of spreading the Good News. We can position ourselves for influence and reposition ourselves when our circumstances change. Jesus moved from his hometown of Nazareth to a major cosmopolitan city along the Sea of Galilee. By doing so, he increased his ability to reach people who would enhance his ministry. This week, let’s all examine our current positions in the effort to restore Earth’s health and make whatever adjustments are needed to increase our influence.