Third Sunday of the Year C – 26 January 2025.
Readings: Nehemiah 8:2-6,8-10; Responsorial Psalm 18:8-10,15; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 & Gospel Luke 1:1-4,4:14-21.
The first reading recounts how Ezra the priest presented the Law to the generality of the children of Israel. The second reading presents an analogy of the body working in unison as a metaphor for the Church, the body of Christ comprising various apostolates. In the gospel, St. Luke reveals that they were ministers of the Word from the outset. He emphasized that with the power of the spirit, Jesus came to Nazara where he was brought up, and went into the synagogues where the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him and he read it. Nourished by the liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist, like Jesus, we are charged to make a deliberate option for the poor thus fulfilling the demands of the liturgy of life.
Introduction
Friends in Christ, in 2020, Pope Francis decreed that “the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the Word of God.” By this, he emphasised the essential nature of the Bible for the Christian life and in the life of the Church. The liturgy affords us the privilege to celebrate the Word of God. This reflection, “A Preferential Option for the Poor,” explores the background and summary of the readings, essential components of the liturgy, and pastoral lessons.
Background & Summary of the Readings
The first reading (Nehemiah 8:2-6,8-10) recounts how Ezra the priest presented the Law to the generality of the children of Israel (men, women, and children) on the first day of the seventh month. It tells how he read the Word from early morning till noon noting that the people listened attentively. It further narrates that the people cried and prostrated themselves before the Lord when Ezra read from the wooden dais erected for the proclamation of the Word.
While Ezra the priest seized the opportunity to translate and give sense to the Word so that the people would understand, Nehemiah the leader of the people including the Scribes and Levites dedicated the day to the Lord as the people cried. They proclaimed the day as a day of joy for the people but emphasised that the people should be generous by sharing their meal with those who do not have it.
The second reading (1 Corinthians 12:12-30) presents us with an analogy of the body working in unison as a metaphor for the Church, the body of Christ comprising of various apostolates like those of apostles, prophets, teachers, and others who work miracles, heal, lead, help and speak in tongues. St. Paul notes that if one part of the body is hurt, all parts are hurt with it and if one part is given special honour, all the parts enjoy it.
In the gospel (Luke 1:1-4,4:14-21), St. Luke reveals that they were ministers of the Word from the outset. He further discloses that he decided to write about Jesus to tell Theophilus how well-founded the teaching he received is. He emphasised that with the power of the spirit, Jesus came to Nazara where he was brought up, and went into the synagogues where the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed him and he read it: “The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.” Jesus added: “This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen” as all eyes in the synagogues were fixed on him.
Pastoral Lessons
- Accept God’s Word: By crying after a sober reflection on the Word of God, the audience in the first reading teaches us to prioritise Sunday Mass by turning up on time to partake in the Liturgy of the Word, eschew selective choosing of portions of the scripture that feeds our ego, and accept the scripture for what it is – God’s Word and not some form of human thinking (Cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
- Preach with Clarity/Avoid Entertainment: Just as Ezra the priest gave sense to the word for the people to understand the scripture, pastors of souls are charged to shun turning the liturgy into entertainment but rather, preach using simple and clear communication so that the faithful may understand and put it into practice.
- Embrace Active Participation: The message of the first reading and gospel reminds pastors of souls to pay attention to celebrating the liturgy with decorum while inviting the faithful to what Vatican II in Sacrosanctum Concilium – The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy No. 14 describes as “full, conscious, and active participation” in the liturgy for the sanctification of souls.
- Take to Co-Responsibility: Nehemiah, the leader of the people, including the Scribes and Levites, and St. Paul’s analogy of the Church with various parts of the body working in unison reveal the expected synergy between the clergy and lay people and the relationship between the Church and the State, which invites us to take to collaborative ministry.
- Make a Preferential Option for the Poor: The Israelites were charged to be generous by sharing their meal with those who did not have it – This reminds us of the liturgy of life, namely, bearing the fruits of the Holy Mass in the day-to-day events of our lives through a deliberate preferential option for the poor, like Jesus in the gospel and Archbishops Oscar Romero of El Salvador and Dom Helder Camara of Brazil, respectively.
Summary Lines
- The first reading recounts how Ezra the priest presented the Law to the generality of the children of Israel.
- The second reading presents an analogy of the body working in unison as a metaphor for the Church, the body of Christ comprising various apostolates.
- St. Paul notes that if one part of the body is hurt, all parts are hurt with it and if one part is given special honour, all the parts enjoy it.
- In the gospel, St. Luke reveals that they were ministers of the Word from the outset.
- He emphasised that, with the power of the Spirit, Jesus came to Nazara, where he was brought up, and went into the synagogues, where the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, and he read it.
Conclusion
The cry of the people at hearing the word of God challenges us to be sober when we hear God’s Word in the Church to reform and not view preaching as a form of entertainment. The rapt attention of the people who listened attentively from early morning to noon urges us to spend quality time with the Lord bearing in mind the scripture which says: “One day in the house of the Lord is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Psalm 84:10). May the Holy Spirit inspire us to fulfil the practical dimensions of the liturgy. Amen!
