Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Instrumental music has a way of conveying strong emotions without the use of words. Words in music make it easier for us to understand what is being communicated because it’s in a language that we understand. When you take the words away though, sometimes the music doesn’t have the same impact. Since the music was made specifically to back up the lyrical message of the song, you can’t help but feel that there is something missing and that you’re not getting the whole message. That’s why instrumental music has always moved me, sometimes to tears, with the way it conjures feelings like joy and sadness without using the medium of language. It draws on the emotions that are already there in our hearts and pulls them out into the open for us to evaluate and understand. There are times when we feel certain emotions but are unable to put them into words. Instrumental music helps me sit and process these feelings which eventually leads to action. Whether it’s to let those emotions go, to pray in a more meditative way, or to use them as motivation to start a workout, the music helps me to achieve something that words cannot.

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In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus reminded me of why music affects me profoundly.  We see Him call out to Peter, Andrew, James and John. After hearing Him speak, they were moved so deeply that they immediately left what they were doing to follow Him. None of them knew who Jesus was at that point, so it made me think about why they would make such a dramatic decision to leave the lives they had and follow Him. In the brief moment that they encountered Jesus, they were moved so deeply that they couldn’t help but take action.

We are all made in the image and likeness of God. Within all of us is a desire to be loved and to love. Goodness resides within our hearts. So, when the source of all goodness called out to the apostles, they must have realized that nothing else could ever provide the same joy and love that they experienced in that time that they met Him. Without knowing Him, Jesus was still able to draw out what was in their hearts and bring it to the surface.

Music doesn’t know us or our situations. We may be carrying a lot of baggage in our lives that sometimes we ourselves don’t know how to resolve. Sometimes it gets to a point where hearing music that we relate to is the outlet that we need to feel better. With music, it’s a one-way relationship. Hearing the right song might help us, but that’s it. With Jesus, it’s so much more. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He is always calling us to a deeper relationship with Him. Unlike music, He also understands us and wants the best for us.

This week, let’s strive to seek Him out and spend some time with Him. We’re all looking to love and be loved and for our feelings to be validated. Jesus wants to give us all that and more.