Breaking Open the Word
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Introduction
Today is Sunday January 26th. It is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Collect, or the prayer at the beginning of Mass is often something we may not focus on. However, the Collect today may be a great place to start a reflection on the readings. The Collect reads: “Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son, we may abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
In the First Reading, from the Book of Nehemiah, we see Ezra the priest bringing the law before the assembly of men, women and children. The reaction of the people to the law of God is interesting. The people raise their hands high and respond “Amen, amen!”. Then they bow down and prostrate themselves before the Lord, their faces in the ground. Their reverence to the law of the Lord and their desire to be obedient to it is profound. Why was the law so important? The Collect provides the answer – the law directs our actions, so that those actions may abound in good works.
Yet later in that same reading we see Nehemiah and Ezra say this to the assembly, “Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep.” The people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. Why was the law making them weep? It may be speculation on our part, but a clue is offered at the end of the reading. There we see these words, “Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!” Could it be that their sadness was related to a sense that they did not have the fortitude to follow the law and abound in good works?
Perhaps that is a tie in to our Second Reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians. There are two things worth noting in that letter from Saint Paul – the presence of the one Spirit and the importance of both the parts of the body and the oneness of those parts. It seems that the fortitude to follow the law of God comes from the Spirit that we are all baptized into. In drinking of that one Spirit, we are strengthened. Apart from the body, we as members, may feel vulnerable. However, when we remain in the Body of Christ, the Church, we are strengthened and sustained by our brothers and sisters in Christ, and the fullness of that body.
Gospel Explained
Imagine for a moment, that Jesus Christ was born, died and rose from the dead and no one wrote about it! Yes, the life of Jesus and, specifically, His words and teaching would have been passed down by word of mouth. The apostles and the disciples who experienced it first-hand would have shared it with those they encountered. However, over 2,000 years imagine how much would have been lost. That is what Luke is emphasizing in the opening of today’s Gospel passage. The Gospel of Luke not only reminds the reader that “many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events”, but provides clarity as to how that is a benefit to us – “… so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.”
How powerful is it that Jesus read from a written scroll and could recite the words of the Prophet Isaiah? These were words written centuries ago about him, about the Christ. How moving is it to hear Jesus say, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
How blessed are we to have the law of the God, to have written accounts of the life, words and teachings of Jesus Christ. Through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium, or teaching authority of the Church, we need not weep, for God has provided the direction, a roadmap so to speak, for our actions.
Today's Theme
The readings for today remind us of the importance of the laws of God and on the written word. Our God is a loving, merciful God. After humanity’s fall in the Garden of Eden, man was banished from paradise, but was also clothed by God and cared for physically, emotionally and spiritually. Man’s physical needs were provided for – man had food to eat and was sheltered. Man’s emotional and spiritually needs were tended to by a God who did turn away but opened a path back to paradise. The road to paradise was paved with the prophets, the laws and commandments, by written accounts and by the Word, Himself, made flesh.
The law of the Lord, God’s commandments are not meant to burden us, but rather liberate us from the snares of the devil and from slavery to sin. The law frees us to exercise our God given will and intellect in a manner pleasing to the Father so that our actions overflow in good works.
Theme in our Life Today
We are invited today to receive the law of God in a manner consistent with those in the first reading – with respect and reverence. However, we need not weep, for we have been provided with the tools necessary to follow that law. We have been given the gift of the commandments, Sacred Scripture, the Sacraments and a community of believers, the Church, to strengthen and sustain us.
Where does Divine Law fit in our daily lives? Do we give precedence to God’s laws or human laws? How do we see the laws of God – as burdens or as blessings?
How often do we read the written law or study Sacred Scripture? Do we see it as simply an account of past events or a means by which God directs our actions and recreates us in His image and likeness?
Prepare for Sunday
If you are reading or listening to this before Mass, will you some time and sit with the passages for today quietly pondering them and discerning what they mean in your life?
How do you see yourself within the Body of Christ – do you see yourself as an important part of the whole body? Why or why not? What, if anything, needs to change?
Do you see Jesus as the fulfillment of the Prophet Isaiah as seen in the Gospel passage? Do you see Him as the anointed one or simply a great teacher or role model?
How do you view the teachings of the Catholic Church? Do you view them with “certainty”? Why or why not?