Typically, the Sunday after the Epiphany is celebrated as the Baptism of the Lord, but because of quirks in our calendar this year, with Christmas and New Year’s falling on Sundays, the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord was celebrated this past Monday. That date marks the end of the Christmas season, which now brings us to a period of Ordinary Time – that is, counting the days (ordinals) between the major Liturgical Seasons. The white and gold vestments and décor are put away as Green now becomes the color of the season. Throughout Advent and Christmas we’ve heard the prophecy of the Messiah, witnessed his birth, and have come to recognize him as the chosen one. As we enter this first period of Ordinary Time, we start our journey following Jesus step by step through his ministry.
The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
John 1:29-34
Our first reading comes from the book of the prophet Isaiah. This passage from second or deutero-Isaiah comes to us from a time toward the end of the Babylonian Exile. During this time we learn of God’s plan for Israel’s redemption by sending us his “servant” – someone dedicated to the Lord who will bring the survivors of Jacob and Israel back to the Lord and make them a light for all the Nations. Note also here that Isaiah’s prophecy says God will “raise up the tribes of Jacob.” This is significant because God’s plan isn’t just to restore the Kingdom of Judah, but all the original 12 Tribes. And just how will they be that beacon of light? By following God’s commands, as we hear in our Psalm singing, “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.”
Why is it that we’re so enamored with Isaiah’s prophecies? Because from our Christian perspective, we see Jesus as the Christ, the one sent by God to fulfill this prophecy. As we read Isaiah’s words we can’t help but to picture Christ. Reinforcing that idea is our Gospel from John. Here we have John the Baptist giving testimony to the crowd gathered at the Jordon River, telling them how the Spirit has revealed to him that Jesus is the Son of God, who will baptize them with the Holy Spirit. Typical of John’s Gospel, he doesn’t repeat the story we’ve heard in the other Gospels, but rather, he digs deeper so that we have no doubt that Jesus is the Messiah.
And what of our second reading? Having entered Ordinary Time our second reading won’t necessarily support the same theme as we hear in the first reading and the Gospel. Instead, now and for these next seven weeks (until the beginning of Lent), our second reading will be an extended study of Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians. As we are beginning our journey with Jesus through his ministry, our passage from this week’s second reading is also a beginning. Here in the opening of his letter Paul introduces himself as a servant for Christ and bestows his welcome and blessings on the Church in Corinth. As is typical of Paul’s letters, he follows conventional Hellenistic form in his introduction. Over these next several weeks we will dive deeper into the main points of this important letter.
Final Thoughts:
Living in Southern California as we do, we sometimes miss the sensations of moving through the four seasons – that full journey from Fall to Winter to Spring to Summer and then back to Fall. That same seasonal rhythm also moves through our Liturgical Seasons with its high points and low points and transitions in between. But just as we Californians have a hard time seeing these patterns in nature, we Catholics can sometimes miss seeing these patterns in our Liturgy. With the Christmas season (yes, a full season, not just one day) now behind us we enter a stretch of Ordinary Time. Over the years I’ve grown to appreciate what Ordinary Time has to offer. It’s a chance for us to slow down and take-in what’s going on around us. It is an opportunity to literally walk with Jesus as he goes from village to village, from town to town, spreading the Gospel message.
Our lives are not static. Growth and change are built into us by design, moving through the various stages of our lives, learning and adapting along the way. Life is a journey, and often times the joy of life is found not in the end result, but in the journey itself. So too with our faith lives. Far too many people see their faith as something that is static, a constant that they can fall back on when needed. But that’s an incomplete view. Living our faith is also a journey. While God may be constant, our relationship with him is dynamic, always changing with the flow of our lives. Ordinary Time is our chance to re-engage with God in a way that is much different than the big seasons. It’s a chance to follow Christ on his journey through his ministry, and like the Apostles, give us too a chance to learn and grow.
For anyone who is a parent, or anyone who’s had to mediate a dispute among children, you likely have confronted the phrase “But that’s not fair!” How many times in your life have you uttered that phrase? Even as adults we have a tendency to equate “justice” with “fairness.” But here’s the thing – what is “just” may not always be “fair,” and what is “fair” to one person may not always be “fair” to the other. Our readings this week deal with just that problem, the difference between what we think is fair and what God thinks is both fair and just. The Word for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 55:6-9 Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18 Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a Matthew 20-1-16a We open with a reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah, in this case from the closing chapter of Deutero or “second” Isaiah. This comes from a point in Israelite history where the people have been released from their Exile in Babylon. The Lord has shown them great mercy and forgiveness by freeing them from th
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