The light that lights all darkness has come in the person of Jesus Christ. That changes everything – including us!
A homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time based on readings from
Isaiah 8:23–9:3, Psalm 27, 1 Corinthians 1:10–13, 17, Matthew 4:12–23
These readings are available at the USCCB website.
Today is a day dedicated to the Word of God, the word through which God, in his goodness and wisdom chose to reveal himself to us.[1] The Bible is a source of unity and love, particularly among Christians. Sacred Scripture is absolutely essential in understanding who we are to God, and who God should be to us. Our scripture readings today establish a tone for the whole of Ordinary Time as we consider Jesus’s life and ministry. We see in today’s readings three very clear messages: Christ – the long awaited light of the world, Repentance – the only appropriate response to Christ. Immediacy – Now is the time to respond! This is the “right-now” factor.
The Bible – A Source of Unity and Love
The Word of God, God’s revelation of himself, is a source of unity among all Christian people, indeed among all people of any faith or no faith at all. Among Christians, the Bible becomes an anchor for our belief and for how we treat one another. Even though we may not see things in exactly the same light, Christians everywhere share a common understanding of the importance of Christ and his message. We share so much in common, and it starts with the Word of God. Even with our differences, sacred scripture brings us together.
Catholics share a common view of the importance and meaning of the revelation of the Word of God. Our unity in Christ’s word reaches its fullest when we do as Christ commands in scripture to “take an eat” in the Eucharist where the whole Church is united.[2]
How, then, does the Word of God apply to other faiths, or to those without faith? One important message from the Old Testament speaks to how well we treat those among us who do not belong to our group – the widow, the orphan, the stranger. Deuteronomy 2:22 tells us, “[Y]ou too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were in the land of Egypt”. Loving the resident alien, the stranger, the sojourner, is difficult. And yet word of God reveals this to us that it is utterly important. Jesus’s pronouncement is that we must love all – even our enemies. I have to wonder, if you have to love them are they really enemies? I don’t think that they really can be. All of these themes seek to bring us together. It only makes sense. When we reflect the welcoming love that God shows us, even while we are sinners, how can we not become closer to one another?
In the Gospel of Luke, the last thing that Christ did before his resurrection was to “open their minds to understand the scriptures… and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations”[3]
Christ, the Light of World
Let’s now look at the word of God that was proclaimed today. Let’s focus on our gospel reading. We see many themes in our readings today, but let’s look at the three I mentioned earlier, “Christ”, “repentance”, and “ ‘right-now’”.
Our first reading from Isaiah proclaims that good will come to those who turn from their own devices and instead seek the Lord as their God:
Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness:
for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;[4]
Our gospel today reveals that Christ is the fulfillment. He is that great light. The people who walked in darkness could at different times could be any of us. It probably was each of us at some point in time. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, the light of Jesus Christ. This changes everything for the better! What then, are we called to do when we stand in the light of Christ.
Repent!
Repent. The answer is simple, repent. That is the call of Jesus. I know that the call to repent is challenging, maybe even uncomfortable. I remember participating on a men’s ACTS retreat and discussing how best invite men to attend. I was encouraged not use the “c” word. Change. Not that. The phrase, “It was a game-changer” was replaced by “I can’t even begin to describe how great it is.” But repentance is first and foremost about change. It is about changing our behavior and more importantly changing our outlook to conform to Christ’s. We start off with our own will and we each of us must work to align our will for us with Christ’s will for us. Repentance. Embrace it. Become more Christ-like every day. Everyone, be a part of your transformation.
A side note for the men in the crowd, we have a men’s ACTS team currently in formation. They will be inviting you to attend the retreat this April 13-15th. When they ask you to go and say that they can’t even begin to describe how great the retreat is, do not scream and run away. I can hear it now, “Deacon Tom warned me about this!” Don’t. Please don’t. Just clear your calendar and say yes. Let your yes be yes. You will be glad you did.
Immediacy – Scripture Is Timeless, Not Time-Released
Do any of know a ten-word expression for “no”? “Let me check my calendar and get back to you”. Notice in our gospel, Jesus invites Andrew, Simon, James, and John to follow him and none of them says that. Maybe calendars hadn’t been invented yet, but I am sure that these guys all had other plans. Maybe they thought one day that they would take over their father’s business, hire extra help, add a few boats to the fleet, make something to leave behind for the families they imagined. I can’t really imagine that they were standing around working wondering, when can I just drop all this and walk away?
A thread that runs throughout scripture, and certainly through the gospels is immediacy. When the question, “When?” shows up; “Now” is the best answer. God asks Abram to “go to a land that I will show you”.[5] He leaves. God through Elijah asks Elisha to become a prophet of the Lord. He slaughters his oxen and burns his plowing equipment. He doesn’t look back. The apostle are asked to leave everything to follow Jesus. They go. Scripture is timeless, but it is not time released. We must each answer the call as the call is being made – as soon as we understand God’s will for us.
The answer for us, just like for the ones we read about in scripture is, “Now is good”.
Closing
Now is good! I am a planner myself. There are times when I would rather plan my transformation in Christ that actually be transformed. I know that the call to repent applies to me as well as anyone. And when it does, I have spent more time than I needed to on “When you think about it, repent really means to change your mind and my mind is changing – slowly”. That is not answering the call. That is finding other things to do that delay that next step. Now, it might be a natural rection. It certainly is for me. But what does our scripture this morning promise for those who truly see the light of Christ? Abundant joy! Great rejoicing! Why wait?
Let us open ourselves to the Word of God. Let us open ourselves to the light of Christ. Let us respond immediately with our whole lives!
Let us open ourselves to the Word of God. Let us open ourselves to the light of Christ. Let us respond immediately with our whole lives!
[1] Cf II Vatican Council, “Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation: Dei Verbum,” (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011) §1. Dei verbum (vatican.va)
[2] CCC 1369
[3] Luke 24:45, 47
[4] Isaiah 9:1-2
[5] Gen 12:1