Deacon Tom Anthony

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 67

Reading 1 Is 8:23—9:3

First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali;
but in the end he has glorified the seaward road,
the land west of the Jordan,
the District of the Gentiles.
Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness:
for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Reading 2 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17

I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree in what you say,
and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters,
by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you.
I mean that each of you is saying,
“I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”
or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

Alleluia Mt 4:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 4:12-23 or 4:12-17

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 We as Christians are sharers in the light which is Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through this light and following it that we learn how to live and experience life in a different way. This different way is the way that God intended us to live from the beginning. Our pride and our selfish will cannot be the dictators on how we ultimately make decisions and build a foundation for the future. We must always have Jesus Christ in our hearts, soul, minds, and bodies when we formulate plans and make decisions. Being Christian means that we live by every word from Sacred Scriptures and by our relationship to Jesus. This relationship can only bear fruit when we pursue it and strengthen it through familiarity and trust. When Jesus called the first disciples they reacted by abandoning everything and following Him immediately. This cannot be the case for everyone since we all have responsibilities that need to be fulfilled and further define us as who we are but the abandonment can come in the form of putting what He wants before what we want and desire. The things that we are attracted to will always have a negative side because they are a part of this world but what Jesus wants for us is perfect. Taking into account His desires for us guarantees that our focus will be more genuine and better for us.

When all of us in the Christian Community are focused on Jesus great things happen not only amongst us individually but also as a collective group. Living in the Light of Christ means that all that has not come directly from Jesus is forced out and what remains is only the perfect good. This is then projected outward into God’s creation. This is the way Jesus wants us to be in community. Any division or disharmony that is present is never of His doing but ours alone. Paul tells us in his letter today that there should be no rivalries or factions regarding the faith but one vision shared by all: the vision of Jesus Christ. Jesus was explicit about this when his disciples mentioned to Him that there were others casting out demons in His name. Jesus said, “Those who are not against us are with us.” People who promote division amongst the Christian Community are not doing the work of Jesus Christ but are causing harm and leading people astray. It must be remembered that nothing negative or bad comes from Jesus Christ; only goodness and love. Our faith is based on these principals and any deviation from them is completely wrong. As Paul wrote in his Letter to the Ephesians:

“I urge you, then — I who am a prisoner because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you. 2Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. 3Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. 5There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6there is one God and Father of all, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all.”

Unity and love in our faith is so very important. We all need to put away selfish desires and selfish goals so as to gather together and go forward in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Together we then journey towards God to join with Him forever. On the way we will get stronger and confident in our faith if we keep ourselves the least amongst our brethren and lift up all of those around us. Unified we can do great and wonderful things as long as we keep ourselves secondary to what is the most important: a relationship with God.

 We are all Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus has called us to drop everything and follow Him with abandon. This means the discarding of our old life for a completely new life with Him. This means that we make all decisions and weigh all matters through the lens of Jesus Christ. We are walking with Him and following Him when we need Him the most. He is our guide and protector. Through our relationship with Him the old world fades away and is replaced with a new one defined by Him and through Him alone. Knowing Him and getting closer to Him brings us closer to true joy and the perfection that is God.

Deacon Tom