By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe., C.S.Sp.
(Neh.8:2-6,8-10; Ps.18:8-10.15, 1Cor.12:12-30 & Lk.1:1-4,4:14-21)
Dear brothers and sisters,
The word of God is central to our lives. John 1: 1-3 indicates that all things were made by the word of God which is God himself. This identification of God with his word signifies our closeness with God. When we hear the word of God, it is God himself who is taking form in us. You can now understand Paul when he writes that faith comes through hearing, and what is heard is the word of God (cf. Romans 10:17). To emphasize the primacy of the word of God in Christian liturgy, Pope Francis established ‘The Sunday of the Word of God’ to be marked each year on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. This primordial position of the word of God and its importance in our daily lives are clearly presented in the three reading we have today.
The first reading presents the post-exilic Israelites who lost the sense of direction, having been cut off from their usual reflection on the Torah. Their law, deriving directly from the word of God given to Moses and written down in the Scripture, was kept aside when they were driven into exile. They were made to practice the customs of the pagan nations around them. Upon return to their homeland, they needed to rediscover their place prior to the exile event. When the book of the law was discovered by what we might regard as divine providence during the repair of the temple, read out and explained to them, they listened attentively. They discovered, in the process, how far away they have drifted from the precepts of the covenant God made with their forefathers. Contrary to the self-perception they had developed as defeated and exiled people, they realized that they had a special relationship with God, which made them a special nation among the pagans. Unfortunately, the failure to keep to the demands of the covenant had estranged them from the many blessings of God meant for them all the while they suffered in a foreign land. That discovery brought them to tears and remorse for their sins and shortcomings. But Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites urged the people to be grateful, happy, and rejoice rather than mourn because ‘the joy of the Lord’ is their strength.
Discovering the word of God is like discovering a pearl of the greatest value because it is the discovery of God himself. The word of God enables us to understand that we come from God, live in God, and will return to God (cf. Acts 17:28). Realizing our divine origin enables us to dedicate our entire lives to following the path that God has marked out for us. As a manufacturer of a product describes in a manual the best way to use and maintain the product for optimal performance and durability, so also the word of God contained in the Bible describes the mind of God concerning us. It enables us to understand the way to live in every circumstance. As Psalm 1:1-3 indicates, meditating constantly on the law of the Lord is a great source of blessing that never runs dry. Ezra and the others urged the people to be glad because they knew that the discovery of the Book of the Law will open a new page in their lives as a nation. It will enable them to understand the will of God concerning them and enable them to cart a new path and enjoy God’s enormous blessings. They will no longer be afraid of their enemies nor dread exile so long they keep to the demands of the Law because the Lord God will be their defense. As the Psalmist puts it, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
When a person or a nation (in this case the Israelites) walks away from God that is the light (cf. John 8:12), he walks in darkness. The Israelites were driven into exile in the first place for disregarding the word of God. Its rediscovery was, therefore, a new opportunity to regain their sense of direction as a people and a nation. The value of things is sometimes better appreciated after being lost and rediscovered. But the risks involved in that process are enormous. It is not all prodigal sons and daughters that have the rare opportunity of returning home safe. That is why we must cherish our relationship with God and not allow the devil to steal it from us (cf. John 10:10).
Luke who was a disciple of Paul, having seen the great works accomplished in the spreading of the Gospel, and having seen de account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ written by others, decided to write an orderly account of it for Theophilus. It is not clear if Theophilus is an individual person or if it is a term used to refer to believers, regarded as “friends of God” (Theo – God, Philos – loving). What interests us here at this moment is that Luke’s account sought to anchor the genealogy of Jesus to Adam (whom he called the son of God – Luke 3:38b) rather than Abraham (in Matthew’s account – Matthew 1:1), and traced the incarnation of Jesus to the message of Angel Gabriel (cf. Luke 1:26). By so doing, Luke connects the salvation brought by Jesus to the account of the creation where God created everything by the power of His word. It was that word, brought by angel Gabriel to Mary that made Jesus take flesh and dwell among us (cf.John 1:14).
In the second part of the gospel, we see Jesus beginning his ministry with the reading of the Scripture in the Synagogue. He opened the book of the Prophet Isaiah and read a portion that is written about him. The Spirit of the Lord is upon him to preach the good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty for the oppressed, and proclamation of the acceptable year of the Lord. After reading these words, Jesus said that they are fulfilled in their very eyes because they were fulfilled in him. The potency of the Gospel is in its ability to bring positive change in the lives of people. When lived and proclaimed under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the word of God brings to life what is dead, transforming the bad and ugly into goodness, sinfulness into holiness, and failure into success. The word of God is power and not just a sterile piece of history. It is alive all through the ages; ever fresh and potent.
Jesus did not just proclaim the good news, or claim the words of the prophet Isaiah to be about him. He went about doing good, healing the sick, and setting free those held in bondage by the devil (cf. Acts 10:38). Listening to the word of God and not doing what it commands does not benefit the hearer. James calls such a person a self-deceiver. He is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and goes off forgetting what he looks like (cf. James 1: 22-24). It is only by taking the necessary action that the power of the Gospel is brought to life. And the action each of us is called to take differs in kind and proportion to the gift and situation of everyone. Paul takes up that issue with the Corinthians, using the different parts of the body and its functions as a metaphor.
It is interesting to note that we are all different. Monotony, they say, kills interest. The diversity of the functions to which each of us is called is an indication that everyone has an important place in the body of Christ. No position is better or more essential than the other. They are only different. This calls for respect, a sense of duty, and responsibility. No one must think that what he or she is called to do in the body of Christ can be neglected, just as no part of the body can be considered less important or negligible. The first question, therefore, is to what extent one is conscious of his or her vocation (call to service), and what the person has been doing about it. There are many scriptural passages that remind us that we were sent on earth for a purpose. And we must do our best to fulfill that purpose.
When the Israelites wandered away from the demands of the covenant, they lost touch with their identity and special relationship with God and ended up in exile. Negligence of the word of God in our daily lives and routines can blind us from the true essence of our existence and our mission on earth. We are not here to pursue worldly pleasures, wealth, and fame for its sake. We are here to use the various gifts we have received to be an expression of God’s love, righteousness, and mercy to the world. By living acting in line with the word of God, we make him known to others thereby becoming his true disciples.