Today we celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God, recognizing the centrality of God’s word in the life of the Church. Saint Jerome, who translated most of the Bible into Latin in the fourth century, wrote, “Ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” Every time we come to Mass we listen to the words of scripture, conscious that God’s word is a living word, speaking to us in our age as powerfully and relevantly as when it was written. Let us resolve to make God’s word a guiding force in our lives.
Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
On this Sunday of the Word of God we hear a dramatic example of how words written in one era come alive centuries later in a new context. Isaiah saw that Judah’s king had turned his back on his own people, but also saw a day when God’s ultimate triumph would be realized. Eight hundred years later, Matthew noted that Jesus came from the same region Isaiah mentioned, giving new meaning to the “great light” who overcame the darkness. Listening to God’s holy word, let us reflect on how the light of Christ continues to overcome the darkness.
Reflections
Zebulun and Naphtali, as well as Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee, were on the outskirts of Jewish Palestine, outside Judea proper. Here Gentiles lived alongside Jews, bringing a strong Hellenistic influence to the region. People from Judea often looked down upon those who lived outside Judea, much as we may look down on those who come from outside our own community, society, or country. Isaiah’s and Matthew’s words declare that it is insiders’ negative attitudes toward outsiders, not the outsiders themselves, that bring gloom and darkness to the land. The presence of outsiders can bring either diversity or division; the choice is up to the insiders. Let us not forget that Jesus himself is one of those outsiders.
The first disciples Jesus called—Simon and Andrew, James and John—were all fishermen, one of the most stable occupations of first-century Galilee. Yet they immediately left their way of life to follow Jesus into the great unknown. No longer could they be assured of putting food on their tables or income in their pockets. But as they traveled around Galilee, they were rewarded by seeing firsthand the wonders that Jesus did.
Today we celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God, established just four years ago to remind us that scripture is central to our faith. Christ is the center of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, for, as John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). Through stories and myths, histories and testimonies, visions and parables, oracles and letters and songs, God is revealed to us through the Word.
Question of the Week
• Can I commit myself to studying scripture daily in 2023, making it central in my life?
-from Pastoral Patterns
readings of the mass
LISTEN HEREto the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, January 22, 2023
SELECT HEREfor the Readings of Sunday, January 22, 2023
Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS
