There’s been a lot of talk lately about end times. The past month especially there’s been a lot of speculation about the end of the calendar and the end of time. The past several reflection assignments I’ve had have dealt with end times in some way or another, but today we are talking about new times.

In the first reading from Hebrews we see that things are changing: “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son.”  Now that Jesus is here, we have a new means of communication. We have a new way of life. Jesus has come, and everything has changed. And we need to change with it.

This doesn’t really negate the idea of end times, however. Like the song “Closing Time” says, “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” And we need to put an end to outdated and inappropriate behaviors and start fresh in this new year. Like the song, “Seek the Lord” says, “Today is the day, and now the proper hour, to forsake our sinful lives and turn to the Lord.”

In the Gospel, Jesus says, “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand.” This is not the end, it’s the beginning. He says to change. He calls Simon and Andrew and James and John and tells them that the new times are here and they need to follow him, and they do. They drop their nets and follow him. This is the time of fulfillment. The new times are here. The kingdom of God is at hand and we all need to follow Jesus into these new times.