Skip to main content

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time 2014

Image
By
For the past two weeks our readings have focused on the Baptism of the Lord… that moment where John baptizes Jesus in the Jordon river.  This was a significant moment because it marks the start of Jesus’ public ministry… the passing of the prophetic torch from John to Jesus.  From here we follow Jesus, literally and figuratively, into Ordinary Time…

Isaiah 8:23-9:3-1
Psalm 27-1, 4, 13-14
1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17
Matthew 4:12-23

Our first reading comes from early Isaiah.  The Northern Kingdom (Israel) has fallen to the Assyrians, and the people of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) fear they are next.  But over some time a new regime has taken has hold of the former Israel, and Isaiah sees this not only as benevolent, but a useful example of God’s mercy.  Lands that were in anguish and darkness now “have seen a great light.”  This light shines from a land that now has a large non-Israelite (Gentile) population, and Isaiah hopes this will convince his fellow Israelites in the South that one only needs to put their trust in the Lord.

These very same words come to us again in our Gospel from Matthew.  After his baptism (which was our gospel from two weeks ago) and his temptation in the desert, Jesus sets out to start his public ministry.  John has been arrested, so it would seem Jerusalem is no longer a safe, and Jesus goes to Galilee.  Why Galilee? First, it’s sufficiently far enough away from Jerusalem (some 65-75 miles north).  Second, it’s not far from his home in Nazareth.  Most importantly to Matthew, however, is that is fulfils the prophecy from Isaiah, which we heard in our first reading, and hear again in our Gospel… that this great light will rise from Zebulun and Naphtali… what we know as Galilee.  The longer version of our gospel has Jesus gathering his first Apostles… the brothers Simon (Peter) and Andrew, along with James and his brother John.

Our second reading continues our journey through Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians. It is apparent that some division has grown within this new Christian community in Corinth, so he reminds them that it is Christ we follow, and no one else. If we were to draw a theme for these readings, it would be commitment.  Isaiah’s commitment to the Lord. Paul’s commitment to the. Jesus’ commitment to his mission. Another word for this type of commitment would be vocation. Following Christ is a vocation, in the truest understanding of the word. A vocation is not just a call to the priesthood or the religious life, but a way of forming one’s daily thoughts and actions to the Gospel.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle C

By
“In the beginning there was the Word…”  These are the dramatic opening lines from the Gospel according to John, and though we will not be reading from John’s Gospel this Sunday, these words ring true for our readings for this 3rd Sunday of Ordinary time.  The people are in the midst of something new, a new beginning that, as our readings will show, begin with The Word… The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 (or 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27) Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 Our first reading is from the book of the Prophet Nehemiah.  Nehemiah, along with the priest/prophet Ezra, are the architects of the Restoration of Israel.  Their great Exile in Babylon is over and through the grace of the Persian King, Cyrus the Great, Israel is free to return to their land, to rebuild the Temple and to rebuild their lives as the people of God.  In an effort to guild them in this new beginning, Nehemiah and Ezra g...
Post a Comment
Read more

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

By
February 2nd is the date chosen by the Church to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  When a significant feast day falls on a Sunday, the Church sets aside the readings for that normal week to celebrate the feast with these special readings: The Word for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Malachi 3:1-43 Psalm 24: 7, 8, 9, 10 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32 While the Catholic Church today refers to this day as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, traditionally it has also been called the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord .  Prior to the Second Vatican Council, Candlemas was a time where beeswax candles were blessed for use throughout the year, a tradition still followed in some parish communities.  Today the celebration focuses more on the prophecy of Simeon, and Pope John Paul II chose it as a time for renewal of religious vows (not to be confused...
Post a Comment
Read more

8th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle C

By
As with last week’s readings, our readings for the 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time are usually passed over for other feast days, but since Easter is somewhat late this year, we get to finish out this stretch of Ordinary Time with some readings we rarely get to hear during Sunday Mass: The Word for the 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time Sirach 27:4-7 Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 Luke 6:39-45 Our first reading comes from the book of Sirach, also known as the Wisdom of Ben Sira, a great sage from Jerusalem who embraced the Wisdom tradition.  The work was originally finished around 175 BCE and was later translated into Greek by the author’s grandson sometime after 117 BCE during the Jewish diaspora that flourished in the later Ancient Greek Empire.  Since our earliest manuscripts for this book were found in Greek, it does not hold the same canonical status for Jews and Protestants, but more recent archeological finds have verified its Hebrew origins.  Like all Wisdo...
Post a Comment
Read more