Sunday of the Word of God

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sunday of the Word of God

Is 8:23-9:3, PS 23:1,4,13-14, 1 COR 1:10-13,171, Gospel: MT 4:12-23

Sunday of the Word of God
Pope Francis has issued a decree declaring this Sunday as the Sunday of the Word of God.  For our Homily today I would like us to take some time and reflect deeply on the Word of God, and how it could impact our daily lives. 

In the 2nd Letter to Timothy, St. Paul says that “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction and for training in righteousness so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 

My goal today is to better equip us to carry out God’s good work this week. 

The Holy Father desires us to examine our relationship with Christ, and to connect more deeply with Him through the scriptures. 

In the Letter to the Hebrews St. Paul goes on to say that “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”

Whenever we hear the Word of God, it demands a response for us.  The prophet Isaiah says “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it.”

Three-Way-Relationship - Christ / Scripture / The Church
If you think about it, there is a three-way relationship between Christ, Scripture and the Church. 

Christ is the Scriptures - because he is the Word made flesh - the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.  God has used the Scriptures to express the fullness of his love to us.

Christ also identifies with his Church - we are described as the “Body of Christ” - it is through us that God’s word is spoken, sent and from us that it demands response.

Be Unified
Finally, in the second reading today, St. Paul encourages us “all to agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, but that you be unified in the same mind and in the same purpose.”

To help us in this task, I want to invite you to meditate on the Word of God read to us in the readings today - this is how we (the Church) come to know our Lord and to imitate Him - thereby bringing God’s love into the world in reality. 

When you look at Christ and Scripture in this light it becomes clear how vital it is to the life of the Church that we allow ourselves to encounter the Word of God and to be transformed by the word on a daily basis.

In keeping with the intent of the Holy Father I would like us to encounter the Word of God from the readings today through a meditation on the readings.  So I ask you to lay aside anything that is distracting you and seek to pay attention to the word as we enter into a meditation together.

[[Go and Move my chair down to the front of the Altar]]

Prepare for Meditation
I want to ask that you sit up straight, with your feet placed comfortably apart and place your hands on your lap and close your eyes. 

I want to begin our reflection by praying a Taize chant - to alert our soul’s to the presence of Christ in the Word.  Feel free to sing along with me or to rest in this prayer as the Spirit leads you.

I am going to re-read and reflect with you on the scriptures some of the ideas that I had while preparing for today’s homily.  I want to invite you to listen with your heart and allow God to challenge you with His Word as we enter more deeply into this relationship with him. 

The response from the psalm today gives us a good chant to guide us in our encounter with the Word of God.

SING:  The Lord is my light, my light and salvation
In Him, I trust, In Him, I trust.  (x3)

[[PAUSE]]

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?

Is God my life’s refuge?  Imagine my life represented as a circle, where I am surrounded by the events, people and things of my life.  Where is God in that Circle?  Is He outside of the circle, at the periphery, or next to me, or within me, at the center of everything?

[[PAUSE]]

SING - The Lord is My Light.

[[PAUSE]]

One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.

Christ desires to be the keel of your soul.  He stands at the gate to your soul and knocks.  Do you have the courage to open the gate and invite Him in?  Do I seek to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life?

SING - The Lord is My Light.

[[PAUSE]]

Listen again to the First Reading...

First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali;
but in the end he has glorified the seaward road,
the land west of the Jordan,
the District of the Gentiles.

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;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.

Isaiah shows us that God desires to send His Word into the places that are most disobedient to the Lord.  the lands of Naphtali and Zebulun are the places where Israel disobeyed God greatly.  Sin in my life causes me to live in darkness and gloom.  It is exactly here that God is asking you to invite Him - He wants to enter into these dark areas in our hearts so that his Love and light can transform them.

What is my greatest area of sin?  Invite Christ to shine His light and love there to heal my sin.

[[PAUSE]]

SING - The Lord is My Light.

[[PAUSE]]

You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

When we allow scripture to challenge us, we invite Christ into our life.  We become more like Christ, because we become willing to allow the light of Christ to penetrate the darkness of our hearts.  When we accept God’s grace we then become signs of his love and mercy - and we begin to imitate Him and to be like the Altar Candles - Women and Men who are living their lives giving witness to God’s love and presence in the world.

SING - The Lord is My Light.

And now - let us encounter the Word made Flesh in the Gospel

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.”

John came to the people saying - Repent - the Kingdom of God is near.  When Jesus came he took John’s preaching and amplified it, calling us to the urgency of the Gospel - The Kingdom of God is HERE!  Now Christ has come - and he comes to the place prophesied by Isaiah - to the place of darkness in my life. 

Christ fulfills Isaiah's other prophecy - “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it.”

Christ is bringing his word to Me, in the grave - so that he can grasp my hand and bring me out of this grave of sin, this prison of darkness. 

[[PAUSE]]

SING:  The Lord is my light…

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.

[[PAUSE]]

Jesus encounters us in our daily lives.  Just as he encountered Simon, Andrew, James and John - at work.  He calls them, and he calls you and I to offer our lives to the service of the Gospel.

If Christ can chose Simon, Andrew, James and John - illiterate, unskilled, and untrained fishermen and make them into his Apostles, then he can also call you and I to make a difference in the world.  We only need to let Christ enter into our hearts.

Fish are also a symbol of the Eucharist.  Christ has met us here at this Eucharistic feast where he gives us his Body and Blood to enter into our lives and nourish us.

He invites us to enter into the Kingdom of God.  St. Gregory the Great reminds us that the Kingdom of God is worth all that you have be it the wealth of the rich, young man, your nets and your boat or the Widows mite…

Lord - Teach me to listen to your Word this week - that your Will may be done in my life.

SING - The Lord is my Life (x2)

[[SILENCE]]