THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
22 JANUARY 2023
The
prophet Isaiah speaks to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah dwelling
in darkness. The Assyrians are about to
annihilate the northern kingdom of Israel.
They already carry the yoke of slavery.
The pole of domination is heavy on their shoulders. The rod of their occupiers leaves them little
hope. Those in Judah fear that the same
fate awaits them. But Isaiah gives them
hope. Through the leadership of Gideon,
God had delivered their ancestors from the Midianites. Now, God will deliver them. Those who walk in darkness will see a great
light. They will experience abundant joy
and will make merry at God’s saving hand.
Saint Matthew sees this prophecy
fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We celebrated
that bright light at Christmas. Now,
Jesus begins his public ministry in Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea
of Galilee, revealing that great light through his miracles. The religious leaders in Jerusalem consider
Galilee to be an area of darkness. Those
in the fishing industry do not take the ritual steps of purification. They handle the bodies of dead fish all the
time without taking time off and purifying themselves. They also intermingle with the Greek pagans in
their territory.
It is here in this darkness that
Jesus, the light of the world, announces that the kingdom of heaven has
arrived. He insists that those who want
to be part of the kingdom must repent, must change their ways. As he walks along, he invites two brothers,
Peter and Andrew, to be part of that kingdom.
Then he invites two other brothers, James and John. Both sets of brothers respond and follow him
immediately. Normally, those interested
in being disciples choose the rabbi they want to follow. Jesus is the one who chooses them.
In choosing these fishermen, he
will teach them how to use their skills to do what he is doing – catching other
human beings to be formed into disciples.
The Lord has already chosen us to be part of the kingdom of heaven when
we were baptized. He continues to call
us to make immediate choices at various times in our lives. When we weaken or break our connection with
the kingdom through our sins, he calls us again through the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. Many parishioners made
immediate choices when they participated in a Christ Renews His Parish retreat.
He is calling us during this parish Year
of Encounter to encounter him more profoundly, especially in the
Eucharist. He is calling us to recognize
his presence in those around us, especially in those whom we might find difficult
or challenging.
We also live in a very dark world,
filled with deep divisions, profound distrust, racial hatred, and wars. We need to trust that we can reflect his
light in this dark world, just as Saint Paul encouraged the members of the
Christian community of Corinth to embrace this mission. At the heart of this mission is the cross of
Jesus Christ. That cross invites
disciples to die to a desire for power, control, wealth, and all kinds of
allurements drawing us away from Christ.
Saint Paul speaks to us, the
members of the Christian community of Saint Pius. We face the same temptations that the
Corinthians did. Just as they were
divided by their attraction to certain human leaders, we too can be divided from
each other. Instead of finding our
common identity in our baptism into Jesus Christ, we can further the divisions
of our time by identifying too much with human ministers. Some prefer Pope Benedict. Others lean toward Pope Francis. Some identify with a certain website or an
individual on a You Tube video. In our
parish, some identify with Fr. Augustine.
Others with the crazy pastor. All
of us ministers are fragile humans with different strengths and
weaknesses. As Saint Paul himself
admits, we are all sinners. The Lord is
calling all of us to the mission of fishing for people. We can do that only when we know our common
identity is in Christ, despite our differences of opinion and personal
preferences.
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