Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sister Patricia Gribbin, SNDdeN
January 25, 2026
Matthew 4: 12 – 23
One of the blessings of having been called to be a Sister of Notre Dame is the rich tapestry of experiences that I have been given over many years.
A particularly happy and rewarding time were the years I spent with children in a school in Glasgow where all our pupils were severely visually impaired with a wide range of additional problems. Many of them had multiple disabilities as well as severe learning difficulties. I vividly recall one morning when I went into a class of our younger children to pass on a message to their teacher. These children had learned to use whatever residual vision they had to good effect and that, along with good hearing, enabled some of them to quickly identify who had come into their classroom. I was hardly in the door when I heard Caitlyn call out in a pleading tone of voice “Sister, Sister . . .”
Caitlyn wasn’t able to articulate many words but insistently, and ever more loudly, she kept on calling me “Sister, Sister. . .” Her little arms were stretched out towards me and there was a great urgency in her voice. As quickly as I could, I broke off my conversation with her teacher in response to Caitlyn’s call. As I moved towards her, I spoke her name soothingly and stretched out my arm to hold her outstretched hand, intending to offer her some comfort in the midst of her distress.
What happened next came as a total surprise. Caitlyn didn’t take hold of my outstretched hand. Before I realised what was actually happening, she had taken hold of my sleeve, brought it speedily up to her face and was promptly wiping her runny nose on the sleeve of the blouse I was wearing!
Once she had completed her task of using my white blouse as her much-needed handkerchief, Caitlyn settled back to the sorting tray she had been playing with on her desk. All interest in me was gone. My role as ‘a walking handkerchief’ had fulfilled its purpose and, amidst much laughter from the other staff in the room, I joined in the merriment and left the room wearing a rather grubby blouse for the rest of that school day!
Today, we hear of Jesus calling his disciples and how they left everything to follow him. When Jesus calls us, we do not know where his call will lead us. We may simply be called to wash the feet of others, or even find ourselves called to wipe a few noses! Whatever the call and wherever it leads, it is a joy to follow.
Matthew 4: 12 – 23
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.
The Gospel of the Lord
Meet Sister Patricia Gribbin, SNDdeN
