Pastor’s Column3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 26, 2020
We are haunted by these first gospels of the new liturgical year. Jesus has emerged from the obscurity of his home in Nazareth to proclaim Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand! (Matthew 4:12-23). How in the world could Jesus state that the Kingdom was imminent--at hand--when in fact we have been waiting now for 2000 years!?
The people who lived at the time of Christ were receiving an opportunity that no human being before or since has ever quite experienced …. God Almighty, in the person of Jesus Christ, literally walked among them. He was only to live three more years; so, if Jesus called, they had better not miss their chance. Each day of our lives contains hidden opportunities to grow in character and faith. Peter, James, John and Andrew had to say yes when Jesus passed by. They recognized in that critical moment an opportunity that would never come again.
The Kingdom of God is at hand for us as well. The Kingdom of God, at present, is within us but none of us knows how long we have to prepare. When we die, we are immediately confronted with the absolute truth about ourselves and God’s constant love for us. Now is the time to prepare to enter the Kingdom, to be ready! Each day is a dress rehearsal for eternity and God makes use of every event, whether pleasant, unpleasant or even tragic, to prepare us.
The Lord serves up a daily banquet to us, a table literally filled with all kinds of rich foods, a feast which is called the Will of God. At times we are required to suffer intensely. Other moments are filled with great joy; still others, opportunities to serve. We are challenged to step out in faith. We are caught in traffic and must practice patience. We have relatives, co-workers, classmates or friends that bug us. These are all precious opportunities to allow the Holy Spirit to prepare us for eternity.
Can you imagine Simon and Andrew not listening to the call of Jesus as he passed by? There they were, fishing, and Jesus spoke “words” that changed their lives—Come, follow me. So, we too, must be ready to hear the Lord when he calls. This is why we pray every day, attend Mass on Sunday, and pay attention to how we treat the people around us. God is likely to call at a time we are not expecting, and we must be ready, or we will miss the opportunity that God has given us. Such a prospect is haunting indeed.
Father Gary
History Redeemed: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reflections from Scott HahnDownload Audio File
The Calling of the Apostles, Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1481-1482Readings:
Isaiah 8:23–9:3
Psalm 27:1, 4, 13–14
1 Corinthians 1:10–13, 17
Matthew 4:12–23
Today’s Liturgy gives us a lesson in ancient Israelite geography and history.
Isaiah’s prophecy in today’s First Reading is quoted by Matthew in today’s Gospel. Both intend to recall the apparent fall of the everlasting kingdom promised to David (see 2 Samuel 7:12–13; Psalm 89; 132:11–12).
Eight centuries before Christ, that part of the kingdom where the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali lived was attacked by the Assyrians, and the tribes were hauled off into captivity (see 2 Kings 15:29; 1 Chronicles 5:26).
It marked the beginning of the kingdom’s end. It finally crumbled in the sixth century BC, when Jerusalem was seized by Babylon and the remaining tribes were driven into exile (see 2 Kings 24:14).
Isaiah prophesied that Zebulun and Naphtali, the lands first to be degraded, would be the first to see the light of God’s salvation. Jesus today fulfills that prophecy—announcing the restoration of David’s kingdom at precisely the spot where the kingdom began to fall.
His Gospel of the Kingdom includes not only the twelve tribes of Israel but all the nations—symbolized by the “Galilee of the Nations.” Calling His first disciples, two fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, He appoints them to be “fishers of men”—gathering people from the ends of the earth.
They are to preach the Gospel, Paul says in today’s Epistle, to unite all peoples in the same mind and in the same purpose—in a worldwide kingdom of God.
By their preaching, Isaiah’s promise has been delivered. A world in darkness has seen the light. Th e yoke of slavery and sin, borne by humanity since time began, has been smashed.
And we are able now, as we sing in today’s Psalm, to dwell in the house of the Lord, to worship Him in the land of the living.
