20250126 YOUR WORDS ARE SPIRIT AND LIFE
26 January 2025, Sunday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Nehemiah 8:2-6,8-10 |
All the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law
Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the first day of the seventh month. On the square before the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose. In full view of all the people – since he stood higher than all the people – Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’ Then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord. And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read.
Then Nehemiah – His Excellency – and Ezra, priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people, said to all the people, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.
He then said, ‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 18(19):8-10,15 |
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
it gives light to the eyes.
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.
The fear of the Lord is holy,
abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.
May the spoken words of my mouth,
the thoughts of my heart,
win favour in your sight, O Lord,
my rescuer, my rock!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 12:12-30 |
You together are Christ's body, but each a different part of it
Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.
Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. If the foot were to say, ‘I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body’, would that mean that it stopped being part of the body? If the ear were to say, ‘I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body’, would that mean that it was not a part of the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything?
Instead of that, God put all the separate parts into the body on purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you’, nor can the head say to the feet, ‘I do not need you.’
What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the indispensable ones; and it is the least honourable parts of the body that we clothe with the greatest care. So our more improper parts get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it, and that there may not be disagreements inside the body, but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honour, all parts enjoy it.
Now you together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them?
Gospel Acclamation | Lk4:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Luke 1:1-4,4:14-21 |
'This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen'
Seeing that many others have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have taken place among us, exactly as these were handed down to us by those who from the outset were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, I in my turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an ordered account for you, Theophilus, so that your Excellency may learn how well founded the teaching is that you have received.
Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him.
He came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives
and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’
YOUR WORDS ARE SPIRIT AND LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Neh 8:2-6.8-10; 1 Cor 12:12-30 (or >< 12:12-14.27); Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21]
Today, we celebrate the Word of God Sunday. This was instituted by Pope Francis to underscore the importance of the Word of God and also because this is the Week of Christian Unity, it helps to promote unity with our Christian brothers and sisters for they, too, have a deep love, reverence and devotion to the Word of God. Indeed, the proclamation of the Word of God precedes the celebration of the Sacraments. Otherwise, the sacraments will become merely a devotional exercise, for Sacraments, to be efficaciously celebrated, consist of words and signs. Hence, in anything we do, the Word of God must precede the celebration of the Sacrament. Even in the Eucharistic celebration, the Liturgy of the Word of God is first celebrated, read and listened to before we begin the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
In today’s gospel, Jesus at the very onset of His ministry grounded His mission on the Word of God. “He came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.” He read from the scriptures which confirmed His mission. “Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written: The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.”
It is important that in all we do in life, we must seek the will of God for us through His word and His prophets. St Peter, writing to his community to vouch for the truth about his faith in Jesus as the Son of the Father because of the Transfiguration experience, said, “So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all, you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Pt 1:19-21) It is significant that in the list of gifts, St Paul says “in the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages.” Apostles, prophets and teachers are functions connected with the Word of God. They are critical to the life of the Church.
The importance of the Word of God is also for the people of Israel. They had great reverence for the Torah. And so when they found the Book of Deuteronomy, they were filled with awe. We are told that “in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to understand, (Ezra) read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.” The people revered the Word of God. “Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord and all the people raised their hands and answered Amen! Amen! then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord.” Indeed, the people received it as the Word of God. They never tired of hearing it.
This was what St Paul said to his community too. “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” Indeed, when we accept the Word of God as it really is, then His words become for us Spirit and Life. This is our response in the responsorial psalm. “Your words are spirit, Lord and they are life.” Indeed, Nehemiah and Ezra said to all the people, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep. For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.” The people accepted every word that they heard as from the Lord without disputing the truth of it. This is the kind of faith and docility expected of us when we read the Word of God. Unfortunately, many of us do not even pay attention to the Word of God when it is read in Church.
We are also reminded of the close connection between the Eucharist and the Word of God. These words were also spoken by our Lord in connection with the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. We read that “when many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.'” (Jn 6:60-64)
In the final analysis, we must listen to the Word of God with faith. We should not try to rationalize too much the Word of God. We should be receptive to the Word of God even if we cannot agree with it. We remember the exhortation of St Augustine when he wrote, “If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” This is what the world is doing, unfortunately. Some of our so-called theologians have interpreted the Word of God to suit the mentality and preferences of the world today. They twist and turn the Word of God to justify same-sex marriage, transgender ideology, divorce and killing even.
We must never forget that even the Devil cited the scriptures to tempt Jesus to sin when He was in the wilderness. But Jesus knew the scriptures better than him. In countering his temptations, Jesus also used scriptures to expose the wiles of the evil one. For every temptation, Jesus would quote from the scriptures to expose his snares. When He was asked to change stones to loaves of bread, He said, “One does not live on bread alone but from the mouth of God.” Then when He was challenged to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, the devil assured Him from the scriptures that “He will command his angels concerning you, and ‘on their hands, they will bear you up so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'” But Jesus knew the scriptures better. He said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Then again when He was asked to worship the Devil, the Lord said, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” (cf Mt 4:1-11)
At any rate, St Paul’s admonition to Timothy is a useful reminder for us all. “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:14-17) For this reason, it is incumbent upon us all to familiarize ourselves with the scriptures. We must study it, read it, reflect upon it, pray over it and apply to our lives. Indeed, the Lord reminds us, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (Jn 15:7f) The Word of God, as the psalmist says, “is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted, it gives wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, they gladden the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, it gives light to the eyes.”
But we should not just hear the Word of God, we must put it into action. For after hearing the Word of God, they were instructed, “Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.” Indeed, finding joy and strength from the Word of God, they were filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and concretized the Good News in their lives by caring for their brothers and sisters, reaching out to them in their needs. Most of all, as Christians, being the Body of Christ with different functions, we build each other up in the stature of Christ.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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