Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 69
Reading 1
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 2
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
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,
We are indeed one body, one body in Jesus Christ. We are all unique creations that God willed into existence. There are no two people alike in this world and that is not a mistake. It was God’s intent to make us special in His image. With that, each person has specific skills and talents that set them apart from another. Personalities, likes, and dislikes also differ. What we then have is a virtual melting pot of different persons making up this wonderful creation that God has given us. Even though conflict may arise with different needs and desires coming forth from billions of different people, there can also be consensus if the focus becomes Jesus Christ. Recognizing God as the Father and creator is the first step to surrendering our will to Him. When this happens, what He wants takes precedent and what we want becomes secondary. There is a shared experience and primary goal: to do what God wants. Since God is perfect, there can be no error in what God wants in comparison to what we may want at a given time. It should behoove us to remember this if we truly want to experience joy in our lives. We can then utilize that which has been given to us in service to God. This is the concept of the Living Body of Jesus Christ. Our uniqueness, in service to God, brings about a common vision of perfection through Jesus. We serve as stewards to God’s creation and can then go about building up His kingdom on this earth.
No one can do what is expected of another. No one is replaceable. As Jesus said, “Are two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” He knows us intimately and cares for us personally. Just as He knows us and cares for us, we should know and care for each other. There can be no animosity between any of us. There should also be no animosity between us and God. Where there is conflict, evil abounds. There is no evil with God, thus there should be no evil amongst us. When all are working towards what Jesus tells us to do, we are entering into relationship with God. That is when the body functions as it was expected to function.
Psalm 40 professes,
“Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll.
To do your will is my delight;
my God, your law is in my heart.”
The scrolls are our Sacred Scripture from God and Divine Revelation through prayer. Today, Jesus read from Isaiah “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,” and that the passage read was fulfilled with His presence. This we must recognize if we are to live our lives according to the will of God. Nothing should be said or done without an acknowledgement of Jesus and His influence upon our lives. This is the key to true joy and happiness. The more we work towards this understanding, the less fears and anxieties we will feel. Reacting to Jesus is a lot better than reacting to the calamities we will indeed experience in this life. Jesus offers the solution: working together to do the good works that are expected from us as God’s children.
“Jesus Christ is the definitive Good News of God to all the nations on the earth. (Abbot Christian Leisy).” When this is proclaimed in our faith-life, then the will of God is revealed, and we can all work together towards a common goal guided by the Love of God. Things become simpler as a result and the path to salvation is revealed. With commonality comes understanding and a desire to help each other without hindering. Then, truly the words of the Lord become Spirit and life.
Deacon Tom
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