20230122 THE WORD OF GOD AS OUR LIGHT AND OUR HELP
22 January 2023 Sunday, Week 3 in Ordinary Time
First reading | Isaiah 8:23-9:3 © |
In Galilee of the nations the people has seen a great light
In days past the Lord humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in days to come he will confer glory on the Way of the Sea on the far side of Jordan, province of the nations.
The people that walked in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who live in a land of deep shadow
a light has shone.
You have made their gladness greater,
you have made their joy increase;
they rejoice in your presence
as men rejoice at harvest time,
as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.
For the yoke that was weighing on him,
the bar across his shoulders,
the rod of his oppressor –
these you break as on the day of Midian.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14 © |
The Lord is my light and my help.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
The Lord is my light and my help.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
The Lord is my light and my help.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
The Lord is my light and my help.
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17 © |
Make up the differences between you instead of disagreeing among yourselves
I appeal to you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among yourselves, to be united again in your belief and practice. From what Chloe’s people have been telling me, my dear brothers, it is clear that there are serious differences among you. What I mean are all these slogans that you have, like: ‘I am for Paul’, ‘I am for Apollos’, ‘I am for Cephas’, ‘I am for Christ.’ Has Christ been parcelled out? Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Were you baptised in the name of Paul?
For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Mt4:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 4:12-23 © |
He went and settled in Capernaum: in this way the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled
Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali!
Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan,
Galilee of the nations!
The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.’
From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.
He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people.
THE WORD OF GOD AS OUR LIGHT AND OUR HELP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 8:23-9:3; PS 27; 1 COR 1:10-13,17; MT 4:12-23 (or MT 4:12-17)]
Today, the Universal Church celebrates the Word of God Sunday and some Churches in Asia also celebrate Lunar New Year. This is a double celebration. Every celebration of a New Year is one filled with hope for a better year ahead. It is hope that lives in the hearts of men that helps them in their struggles in life, to want to work for a better place, to begin each day anew, leaving the past behind and continue to strive to overcome all the challenges of life. Indeed, our hope for the New Year is for peace, joy, happiness, prosperity, good health and reconciliation. These are the primary hopes of those of us who celebrate the Lunar New Year, for there is nothing more important in life than to live a peaceful, happy, comfortable life in good health with our loved ones and our friends.
This was the same hope of Israel which we read in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah. The two northern tribes of Israel were being attacked by the Assyrians. They were hoping for peace and freedom from their enemies. Historically, Hezekiah gave hope to the people of Israel because as King he tried to restore Israel by asking the people to observe the Covenant. It is within this context that the prophet wrote, “The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.” Hezekiah delivered Israel from her enemies and provided the kingdom with relative peace.
But our hope cannot be an empty hope, a mere wish. Even as we hope that God will bless us with peace and harmony, we need to cooperate with Him to make it happen. If Hezekiah was able to bring peace and prosperity to Israel, it was because he brought the people back to God and to obey the laws of Moses. Being reconciled with God and walking the way of the Law for the King was the key to remaining strong and united as a people so that they would be able to defend themselves from their enemies. When there is social injustice, oppression, discrimination, poverty and corruption, the peoples will be divided and their vulnerability will be exposed to manipulation from their enemies, within and without.
So, too, if we want to have a new beginning, we must be ready to let go of our past, forgive ourselves and our enemies. In the gospel, “Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.'” So what better way to begin this New Year by asking forgiveness from God and from all those whom we have hurt? We seek reconciliation with our brothers and sisters. We need to walk together in unity and love if we are to overcome the trials of this world. If we are divided, we will become susceptible to the attacks of the Evil One. If we walk together in love and unity with our brothers and sisters, we will be able, as the family of God and Church, to help each other to find true peace, happiness and harmony.
After which, we begin a new life by appreciating the Word of God, like King Hezekiah who presented the Torah to the Israelites as the light and guide by which they were to live their lives. Hence, the Church celebrates the Word of God Sunday. The responsorial psalm says, “The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?” God guides us through life by giving us His Word. Unless, we are familiar with the Word of God, we will not have the light to help us through the struggles of life. We need God’s wisdom through His Word to inspire, to lead and to guide us. St Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16f)
For us, Christians, the Word of God is more than the scriptures. The Word of God is Christ Himself. He is the Word of God in person. He is the Wisdom of God. He is the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah as the gospel tells us. Jesus “settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled: The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned.” Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12)
Because He is the Word of God, we are called to follow Him without hesitation, like the first apostles. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew “they left their nets at once and followed him.” Indeed, when God calls, we are called to give an immediate response. Just like us cardinals, bishops and priests, when the Holy Father call us, we obey without hesitation simply because we believe that God uses him as His instrument to express His will for us. Consequently, our attitude towards the Word of God is one of submission and faith. St Paul writing to the Thessalonians praised them saying, “when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” (1 Th 2:13)
Joy is ultimately to live in Christ. As the psalmist prays, “There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long, to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to savour the sweetness of the Lord, to behold his temple.” Jesus is that Temple as He calls Himself. He is where we meet God and where He lives in us. He is the cause of our joy and peace and unity. St Paul told the Corinthians not to think that baptism is sufficient unless we live the life of Christ and be united with Him, by immersing ourselves in His death and resurrection.
If we want our family and community to be united and living in harmony, we need to live in Christ. The reason why families and communities are so divided within is simply because Christ is not the centre of our lives and the Word of God is not where members of the family find inspiration and direction in life. For the sake of Christ, we will be able to live in love and forgive each other, and accept our differences. St Paul wrote, “I appeal to you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among yourselves, to be united again in your belief and practice.” St Paul reprimanded the Christians for dividing the Church and championing sectarianism and lobbying for power. Indeed, during Chinese New Year, even when members of the family have differences and disagreements, for the sake of their common love for their parents, they would come back for reunion during Chinese New Year. Hopefully, such occasions can be used to rebuild our friendship through service and caring for each other.
We must hope for more than simply a truce among divided siblings and families during Lunar New Year. We must be united in mind and heart in Christ, sharing in His Spirit. When our foundation of happiness and unity is founded in Christ, then this life of ours is expressed in genuine love and service. This should be the way we celebrate our New Year. This is the way, we should be living out our lives. As it is said, our lives are between two big cries, the first when we come out of our mother’s womb, and the second when we leave this world, and our loved ones cry for us. Between these two cries, let us make each other happy and bring laughter into our lives by encouraging each other, enriching each other and caring for each other more than ourselves. So that when we reach the end of our sojourn on earth, we can give the ultimate cry of joy of victory as we enter into the heavenly kingdom and share the joy of Christ and all the saints. In this way the words of the psalmist are fulfilled in our lives when we say, “I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!”
So let us not just celebrate this New Year superstitiously, or our baptism in Christ ritually. It is true all blessings come from God as His grace. We must acknowledge God as the source of all our blessings. But we must also share His blessings with others. Let us pray the scriptures daily, share it with others so that we can share in God’s blessing and His life.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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