Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 69
Reading I
Ezra the priest brought the law
before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak till midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
— for he was standing higher up than any of the people —;
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
“Amen, amen!”
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
“Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep”—
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (cf John 6:63c) Your
words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing
the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving
wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing
the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening
the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring
forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of
them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find
favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Reading II
Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
If a foot should say,
“Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, “
it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
Or if an ear should say,
“Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body, “
it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?
If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But as it is, God placed the parts,
each one of them, in the body as he intended.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you, “
nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.”
Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker
are all the more necessary,
and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable
we surround with greater honor,
and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,
whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.
But God has so constructed the body
as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
so that there may be no division in the body,
but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it;
if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the church
to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers;
then, mighty deeds;
then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
OR:
1 Cor 12:12-14, 27
Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
You are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Since many have undertaken to
compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because
he has anointed me
to
bring glad tidings to the poor.
He
has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and
recovery of sight to the blind,
to
let the oppressed go free,
and
to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
There is cause for rejoicing here. Even though there might be many amongst us who are not in a good place and many of us who are enduring challenges, none of us are alone. As a community we suffer together, face challenges together, and feel each other’s pain. As Christians, we should be doing everything together. That is what a Christian Community is all about. Be it suffering or celebration, we are invested in each other. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians is very explicit about this. The vision he puts forward is one that is both beautiful and very visionary. We are reminded that we are all part of The Living Body of Christ, each with a specific function that makes us both unique and necessary. Nobody is more important than anyone else and we all serve a specific purpose which is defined by the gifts that we receive from God. We can discover these gifts by keeping in right relationship with God and being open to His love. We are then encouraged to take these gifts and use them to benefit the community and all of God’s creation, building up His kingdom here on this earth. It is in using these gifts where we are all lifted up, those who are suffering and those who find themselves in a better place.
Gathering to worship is a beautiful and necessary thing. When we do, we cannot lose focus or forget what it is that we are exactly doing. It is a mystical experience with The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ at its center. We, as members of Christ’s Body, converge together and are joined with Jesus physically, mentally, and spiritually. The whole Living Body of Jesus Christ is on full display. We are in the presence of perfection and the perfect good. The outside world and all its distractions are forced out and we are brought in the moment with our creator. When the body unites, no outside forces can oppose it. Nothing else matters. We are with our God and He is with us. Through worship and prayer, we all have the capability to be healed of our wounds and brought to a higher awareness of who we are in relation to God’s Creation. Everything stems from relationship: our relationship to each other, to God, and to His creation.
Through being members of Christ’s Body, the importance of the self is minimized. Our energies should be focused on the betterment of all with the one who needs the most help getting it. We all contribute to the whole and ensure the needs of all are met with each us being the last the receive. We are encouraged to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who gave up everything so that we may receive eternal life. Christ dwells in us and it is through the example of Jesus Christ that we should be living our lives. We maintain our individuality, but we sacrifice it for the needs of the many. We are the benefactors and the givers at the same time in this methodology. It is through giving that we receive and the Love of God is realized.
We live in a society where the focus is on the individual. There is a tremendous drive for success and the fulfillment of wants and desires, mostly centering around pursuing the demands of the flesh. Jesus Christ teaches that we should be different in this respect. The true path to joy and contentment is found living in the spirit and by not limiting our experiences to things that will quickly amount to nothing but a fading memory. Things of this world have an expiration date. Things of the spirit do not. If we are members of The Body of Christ should we not focus on the eternal? It is through the experiences of the eternal that our true potential is recognized. It is also where we can experience the true Love of God. There is no competition in this area. There is no winners or losers. There is just us and Jesus.
Being together in community can be a comforting feeling. We are social creatures by design. The most important social unit is the family and, The Body of Christ by extension, is just that. It is the largest family in the world because, in essence, it encompasses everyone if they want to recognize it or not. To become benefactors of this family only takes an acceptance of what it is and who is at the center. When we accept Jesus as our savior and God, then He becomes the wellspring from where everything else comes from. We are the only ones who can prevent ourselves from having the full Christ Experience and from being a part of this family. It is through this family that we can have a complete and fulfilling life the way that God intended it to be.
Deacon Tom
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