HOMILY OF 3RD SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR C
HOMILY OF 3RD SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR C
HOMILY THEME: The Word of God as Message of Hope and Liberation to Everyone Who Suffers
BY: Fr. Luke Ijezie
Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10, 1 Corinthians 12:12-30, Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Listening to the word of God is a salvific experience. In it we encounter God in a special way. This encounter is given to us again today, the 3rd Sunday of the year in the Church’s liturgical calendar. The third Sunday of the year is a day specially dedicated to the word of God. The readings of this Sunday present the word as offering a joyful hope of liberation to all who hear it.
ALSO RECOMMENDED: HOMILY OF 3RD SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME
1. The Gospel text (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21) is taken from two significant passages of Luke: his prologue (1:1-4), which introduces the intention of the Gospel, and the visit of Jesus to his hometown Nazareth (4:14-21), which introduces the intention or programme of the entire ministry of Jesus. The intention of Luke’s Gospel is to give certainty to the teachings of the Christian faith already received. On the other hand, the intention or programme of the ministry of Jesus, which is the ministry of proclaiming the word, is to bring good news to the poor, and this involves: proclaiming liberty to captives, new sight to the blind, setting the downtrodden free and proclaiming the Lord’s year of favour. The Lord’s year of favour is a jubilee year. The entire ministry of Jesus is an extended jubilee year. It literally means an unending experience of divine mercy and deliverance. All ministries in the Church are anchored on the proclamation and experience of this divine mercy and deliverance.
2. The diverse ministries work together to build up the Community of Christ. This is the point of the second reading from 1 Cor 12:12-30. The text identifies the different ministries that help the Christian Community to experience the transforming power of God’s word. Prominent among these are the ministries of apostles, prophets and teachers.
3. In the first reading from Neh 8:2-6,8-10, the priest Ezra is presented as reading publicly the book of the law to the gathering of the restored community in Jerusalem after the return from exile. As the reading and its explanation went on, the people were cut to the heart. The people were all in tears as they listened to the words from the law book. The priest, however, encouraged them to see this transforming effect of the word as a joyful experience rather than a sorrowful one. The word of God functions to strengthen His people and to give them hope in the face of difficult life situations. The psalmist in the responsorial psalm (Psalm 19:8-10,15) enumerates the different dimensions of this strength that comes from the word. The psalm uses five different terms to express the identity of the word of God in the Community. The word is received as law, rule, precepts, command, decrees. Six attributes of the word are identified in the psalm: it is perfect, trustworthy, right, clear, true and just. Linked to these are its transforming qualities: it revives the soul, gives wisdom to the simple, gives light to the eyes, abides for ever. Every encounter with the word is an experience of new meaning, new life and hope of better things.
4. As we ponder on the immense power of the divine word, we are encouraged to recommit ourselves to its proclamation in our diverse departments of life. As Christians we are obliged to share the word wherever we li e and work. The word is ever alive and active, and possesses a power that unites estranged hearts and minds, brings joy to sorrowful and discouraged hearts, restores hope and confidence to the hopeless, and presents a new vision and a new light to all who walk in darkness.
May our encounter with the word of God this Sunday become an unforgettable experience of new life and new hope!
FOR A SIMILAR HOMILY, CLICK HERE >>>>>
Dear friends in Christ, We have been sustained by your Charity for the past 11years. Here we are saddled with annual bills. Please, be kind to us with your donation. Click on the “Donate” button to get started. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
