DAILY- HOMILY

24 January 2016

3rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Cycle C. Green. Neh 8:2–4a, 5-6, 8-10. 1Cor 12:12-30. Lk 1:1-4, 4:14-21. 

From the 1st Reading:   Neh 8:  5 – 6a, 8 

Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was in a higher place; and when he opened it, all the people stood. Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God; and all the people lifted up their hands and answered, "Amen! Amen!"

They read from the Book of the Law of God, clarifying and interpreting the meaning, so that everyone might understand what they were hearing.

From the 2nd Reading:   1 Cor 12: 12, 27 - 28

As the body is one, having many members, and all the members, while being many, form one body, so it is with Christ.  All of us, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, have been baptized in one Spirit to form one body and all of us have been given to drink from the one Spirit. . . .

Now, you are the body of Christ and each of you individually is a member of it. So God appointed us in the Church. First apostles, second prophets, third teachers. Then come miracles, then the gift of healing, material help, administration in the Church and the gift of tongues.

From the Gospel Reading:     Lk 4: 16, 18 – 19, 21

When Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, he entered the synagogue on the sabbath . . . Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.  He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and announce the Lord's year of mercy." 

Then he said to them, "Today these prophetic words come true even as you listen."

Reflection

In today's Gospel reading Jesus formally announces his mission at the synagogue in his hometown Nazareth, quoting from the prophet Isaiah.  Jesus unequivocally emphasizes his concern for those in the peripheries of society – the poor, prisoners, the blind, and the victims of injustice.

What can we do to share in the mission of Jesus?

To bring good news to the poor:  We cannot deny the "poverty" of each person. Even the rich are not assured of happiness and fulfillment.  We can be attentive to the needs of every individual, with special attention to those lacking the basic necessities of life. To bring the good news to them is to give them hope in a God who is genuinely concerned about them.

To proclaim liberty to captives:  This speaks not only of prisoners.  Each one of us has attachments and addictions which hinder our freedom to love and serve God and people. God wishes to liberate us from our sinful tendencies and habits.

To give new sight to the blind:  Wealth, honor and power can make us blind about our true identity.  We tend to feel self-sufficient and that our fate in life is completely in our hands: God and others could become irrelevant.   We need enlightenment to understand the truths in our life.

To announce the Lord's year of mercy:  

Equally significant is the declaration of Jesus after he read the prophecy of Isaiah:  "Today these prophetic words come true even as you listen." (Lk 4: 21)   The contemporary challenge for us is whether the mission of Jesus is being achieved now.  What do we do to ensure that "these prophetic words come true in our days?"

The second reading from 1 Corinthians tells us how the mission of Christ is fulfilled in the Church, which with Christ as head forms one body, with each member with a different  role for the health and growth of the body. As in a body, if one part is dysfunctional, the body suffers:  if a member of the Church strays away or does not do his/her part, the body of the Church suffers. If the members do not work together and are not unified, the body of the Church suffers.  The unity and cooperation of Church members are indications of Christ's effective abiding presence and influence in the Church.

The mission of evangelization continues as a challenge in our more modern and more complex world.  We need creativity and faith to execute the mandated mission of Christ given to all the baptized.  May we have the courage to joyfully and persistently work to spread and share the Good News of Christ amidst disappointments and failures.  We must live in hope that the mission of Christ will come true even now.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     Gervin Jon Go Kaw

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

     Gervin & Rosabel Kaw

OTHER INTENTIONS:

For the eternal repose of the soul of Flor Ilagan.

Thanksgiving for the birthdays of Mike Torres, Fleur Torres and Monette Brennan.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

Have a good day!

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