THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

FIRST READING: NEHEMIAH 8:2-4, 5-6, 8-10

SECOND READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-30

GOSPEL: LUKE 1:1-4; 4:14-21

In Australia, a Franciscan monk was assigned to guide Mother Teresa when she visited New South Wales. Thrilled and excited at the prospect of being so close to this great woman, he dreamed of how much he would learn from her and what they would talk about. But during her visit, he became frustrated. Although he was constantly near her, the friar never had the opportunity to say one word to Mother Teresa. There were always other people for her to meet.

Finally, her tour was over and she was due to fly to New Guinea. In desperation, the Franciscan friar spoke to Mother Teresa: If I pay my own fare to New Guinea, can I sit next to you on the plane so I can talk with you and learn from you? Mother Teresa looked at him. “You have enough money to pay airfare to New Guinea?” she asked. Yes, he replied eagerly. “Then give that money to the poor,” she said. “You’ll learn more from that than anything I can tell you.” Mother Teresa understood that Jesus’ ministry was to the poor and she made it hers as well. She knew that they more than anyone else need good news.

On this particular Saturday, in Nazareth, the town gathered in the synagogue, Jesus was there. The synagogue was run by lay people in contrast to the temple that was run by priests ordained for offering sacrifices. You did not have to be a priest to read the scripture and preach in the synagogue. Jesus was not a priest in the Jewish religion. He did not come from a priestly linage but was often called Rabbi because He teaches the Law.  In the synagogue, there will be two readings. The first is always from the first five books called the Torah and the second reading comes from one of the prophets – the Law and Prophets.

Jesus was given the second reading to do. It is His hometown and everyone knew Him. They have heard so much about Him and wanted to learn from him. He read from the Isaiah scroll, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the good news 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.” He rolled up the scroll and sat down.

Everyone knew those words to be Isaiah’s description of the Messiah’s ministry. As they waited for Jesus to start the sermon, He says something no one has ever said. He takes these words of Isaiah and applies it to Himself. He says the scripture about the Messiah and the acceptable year of the Lord has been fulfilled as they listened. Jesus is revealing publicly for the first time in the Gospel of Luke that He is the Messiah and that the time of the Messiah is now.

He has come to proclaim the Goodnews to the poor, to proclaim release to captives, give sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed and declare a year acceptable to the Lord, a jubilee year. The jubilee year is a reference to Leviticus 25: 8-10. It speaks about “seven weeks of years, seven multiplied by seven years which is forty-nine. It says you shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family.” In that year, all your debts are forgiven, all slaves are set free, any land that was lost through debt will be returned to the original owner.

In his Lenten message of 2016, the year of Mercy, Pope Francis identified the poorest of the poor as those who live in sin. They live in the worst kind of bondage and blindness. The truly blind that needs sight are those who are yet to receive the light of faith. The mission of the Jesus is the mission of the Church. That is why St. Paul tells us in the Second Reading that we are one body, the Body of Christ. Our unity is rooted in our baptism in which we have received from one Spirit and have to work together for the good of the Church.

Therefore,, like Jesus and like Mother Teresa, we too have give ourselves to bringing the Good news to the poor. However, we must first of all, allow Jesus to free us and transform us.

Happy Sunday

Rev. Fr. Chidi Onwuka MSSCC