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.
Who speaks for the Lord? Do you have to be a prophet? A priest? A bishop? The Pope? What about you? The answer, according to our readings this week, is “whomever God calls,” and that could be you. The Word for the 26tth Sunday of Ordinary Time Numbers 11:25-29 Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14 James 5:1-6 Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Our first reading comes from the Book of Numbers. This book is a continuation of the Exodus story, from the point where they leave the Sinai (after receiving the Law) to the point where they are ready to enter the Promised Land. The book gives us some history of these years interspersed with sections of legal codes. This Sunday’s passage deals with the commissioning the elders, those 70 individuals chosen by Moses to receive some of the Spirit so that they may prophesy (preach) among the people. But during this time there were two men, Eldad and Medad, who were not with the group at the tent, but who also recei...
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