Commentary
Sunday, 1/22/2016, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Prophecy of the Redeemer
First Reading Commentary Isaiah 8:23-9:3
What affect does God’s presence have on us? Today, Isaiah’s prophecy gives us an answer—we are, redeemed by the Son.
The lands of Zebulun and Naphtali were the first to fall to the Assyrians but Isaiah tells us that in the end, they were, glorified by God. Darkness was dispelled as God’s light was shone on the people and abundant joy and great rejoicing was among them. The people made mercy when they divided the spoils and the burden of their heavy yoke was smashed.
Does this sound familiar? We were redeemed when Christ defeated death on the cross. He gave us His shining Light to follow which hides darkness and illuminates the way to His Kingdom of Heaven where there is abundant joy and great rejoicing. And, Jesus also told us to give our burdens to Him because His yoke is light.
Consider this. We don’t have to ask to be redeemed—we already are. We don’t have to ask for salvation—we already have been saved. We don’t have to ask for God’s mercy—we already have it. I can argue that we don’t have to ask God for anything because He has already given us everything.
But the fact is that we continue to fall into darkness by committing sins. This is, why we need redemption, salvation, mercy, grace and everything else that we ask God to bestow on us.
Today’s prophecy from Isaiah foretells the Son’s coming to redeem the world. When we fall into darkness with our sins, we fall away from God and become like the people of Zebulun and Naphtali who fell to the Assyrians. When we fall, we fall to the devil. But by the Son’s power, His resurrection from the cross, the sacraments and our faith; we are redeemed.
Stand United As One
Second Reading Commentary 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17
It’s all about unity! Paul urges us to stand united in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. When it comes to our faith, there can be no division between us. We must agree on everything because we are all God’s children and God does not want us to be at odds with each other over Him.
Paul recognized that there were rivalries among the Corinthians and so he asked a series of questions. One of those questions was, “Is Christ divided?” This question is very appropriate in today’s world as we consider the many different denominations of Christianity. The differing beliefs and rivalries between different denominations of Christianity is exactly what Paul was urging the Corinthians to stay away from.
Christians today need to take this message to heart. In fact, everyone born into this world should take this message to heart. When it comes to our faith in God, we should be as one.
In Baptism, as believers in Christ, there should be no differences or disagreements among us about the seven sacraments, all of which, Christ instituted.
Christ is not divided and Christ did not come to cause division among those who believe in Him. Instead, Christ came to redeem us so that we could all be one with Him. This is what the Mystical Body of Christ is all about. Each of us is an individual part of the one total body, the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Church.
Just as the different parts of our bodies have specific functions, each of us has a specific function. Some of us are called to religious vocations and others are not. But just as each of our body parts is designed to fulfill the purpose of benefitting the total body, each of us are called to fulfill the purpose of being one with Christ.
This, is why Non-Catholics should take a deeper look at their faith. Christ did not institute the seven sacraments for some people to accept. The sacraments were instituted as a means of providing saving-grace for all, of His believers for the purpose, of being redeemed. Therefore, rejecting any of the sacraments or any part of the sacraments is rejecting part of that saving-grace which leads to redemption.
Paul’s message of unity is telling us to stand united and be one with Christ in every way accepting everything that Christ said and everything that Christ gave us without having any differences among us.
Jesus Begins to Call Us
Gospel Commentary Matthew 4:12-23
Jesus fulfilled today’s prophecy from Isaiah when He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. But fulfilling the prophecy was not the only reason that Jesus had for going to Capernaum. Truth is that it was time for Jesus to begin His ministry.
Remember that in Isaiah’s prophecy, this was the District of the Gentiles, and Jesus had been rejected, by His own people in Nazareth. Remember too, that it was this region that fell first to the Assyrians which is symbolic of our falling into sin. Therefore, Jesus chose to begin His ministry in the land that was first to fall and among people who would listen to His Word.
There was also a reason for the timing of Jesus going to Capernaum. Jesus had just been told of the arrest of John the Baptist who preached saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus knew of the persecution that John would undergo and it was therefore necessary that He continue to spread the Word without delay. Jesus also knew that John the Baptist would ultimately give his life.
John preached, “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.” John had done all he could do in fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy of being the one who would prepare the way of the Lord which meant that the time had come for Jesus to begin His work.
Jesus began His ministry by continuing the message of John the Baptist and by beginning to call His disciples. But even though Jesus used the same words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” there was more meaning to the words. When Jesus said that the kingdom was at hand, it was the same as Jesus saying, “My Kingdom is at Hand.” Jesus could say that because He is the Son and because He is the One who defeated death on the cross with His Resurrection.
The first disciples to be called by Christ were Peter, Andrew, James, the son of Zebedee and John. There is a common denominator among them. They followed Christ immediately. They did not think about it and they did not question it. They just did it.
That is what God wants from us. Consider this: if we take the time to think about whether we should follow the Son, we give the evil one time to corrupt our thoughts with his lies. When that happens, division is fostered among us and we fall victim to the devil’s tactic of divide and conquer. That is the very thing that Paul tells us to stay away from as he urges us to stand united. Therefore, we should not think about following Christ, we should just do it and He will lead us straight to heaven.
Isaiah proclaimed a prophecy of redemption. Christ came and fulfilled that prophecy. When we openly follow Christ the way that the first four disciples did when Christ called them, we proclaim that we are redeemed. In other words, we have been redeemed by, the Blood of Christ on the cross—we should act like it.
