Sunday, January 22, 2023
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
First Reading: Isaiah 8:23—9:3
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23
In Book VII of Plato’s masterpiece, The Republic, we read ‘the allegory of the cave.’ It talks about a group of people chained in a giant cave and facing a wall all their life. They are chained in such a way that they cannot turn their head. The source of light is behind them. They could not see the light. They could only see shadows of people and animals cast on the wall when the sun is shining. Given that all they could see were shadows, they were convinced they were real. They even gave them names. One day, one of them was untied and he walked out of the cave. He began to see things differently. The narrative is in dialogue form between Socrates and his disciple Glaucon. Socrates asked Glaucon, suppose he had to go back to distinguishing the shadows, in competition with those who had never stopped being prisoners, will they not make him a laughing stock and say he had lost his sight? They will resist liberation from their situation and kill the person who tried to liberate them. This story was written in 375 BCE.
Indeed, before the coming of Jesus, the whole world was in darkness. Mankind was much like the people in Plato’s allegory of the cave, chained in darkness. Isaiah promises that the light will soon shine bringing joy, dispelling gloom and bringing salvation. In the Gospel today, Matthew sees in Jesus’s coming to Galilee, the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah that we read in the first reading. He says, “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.” The territories referred to here were invaded by the Assyrians between 734-721 BC. The Assyrians deported a portion of the Jewish population and planted foreigners in the region and it came to be known as the Galilee of the Gentiles. It was a place of idolatry and darkness. These lands decimated and abused will be the first to receive the light of Christ’s preaching. The messianic meaning of the fulfilment of this prophecy in Christ is clear.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of light in the world or in our lives. Where is darkness, there is ignorance, evil and death. But where there is light, ignorance is chased away, where there is light, there is life, there is great rejoicing,there is deliverance and salvation. More than that, disciples are made. Notice the first effect of light in the first reading; It says, “they rejoice before thee as with joy at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” When the light shone for those in darkness, there was great rejoicing. With the appearance of the Light, Isaiah says, “anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness” so that light brings joy much as the contrast darkness, brings anguish and gloom.
Light also brings deliverance. In the words of Isaiah, “For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed….” This is a description of deliverance and salvation.
Jesus is the Light of the world. In john 8: 12, He said, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” With the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the light of life has come to those who have been sitting in the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death. When Jesus says He is the light of the world, He tells us that He is the one who drives away the darkness of ignorance, sin and death. He is our saviour.
Dear friends, there is still so much darkness in the world. Why is that? When a room is dark, It is either that there is no light or that the light is not turned on. As disciples of Jesus, we too have to become the light in our world. In Matthew 5: 14 – 16, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world…. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” This is how light leads to discipleship. The Gospel today is ultimately a call to discipleship. We are disciples of Christ when we live out our vocation as light; bringing joy and deliverance that will lead to our salvation and the salvation of others.
Just as the man in the allegory of the cave who came out and saw the real light, when he returned to enlighten the rest, those who had acclimatized with the darkness persecuted him; Jesus came into a world steeped in darkness and was rejected and put to death. In our mission to enlighten our world, we too will be persecuted. Like the light that sits on the lampstand, we must let our light shine with the hope that it will draw many souls to God.
Happy Sunday
Fr Chidi Onwuka m.ss.cc.