POPE FRANCIS REFLECTION ON THE 3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER B

Homily 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. JESUS CHRIST, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Homily 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
JESUS CHRIST, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
(Psalm 26)

Dear brethren in Christ, today’s Sunday readings center on the theme of JESUS AS THE LIGHT AND SALVATION of the world on whom we should place all our trust.

1.In the 1st reading (Is 8:23–9:3), Isaiah prophesies that the coming of the Messiah will bring light and joy to the world.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils.”

2. The above prophesy is fulfilled in Our Lord Jesus Christ as recounted by the Gospel of St. Matthew. In today’s Gospel text presents us to Jesus

“went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen (see 1st reading).”

  • Christ irradiates the world with His Light with his MESSAGE and PREACHING: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
  • Jesus emits His light THROUGH HIS APOSTLES whom he called to be “fishers of men” and who left everything behind in order to follow Him and be His light-bearers in the future, under the Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • He emanates His light by BRINGING HOPE TO MAN with which he healed the diseases and illnesses of the people, not only physical sickness but above all, healing the spiritual sickness which is far worse than the former.

3. As Christians, faithful followers of Our Lord, WE ARE CALLED AS WELL TO BE HIS LIGHT-BEARERS to radiate Christ’s light to others through our ACTIONS and LIFE COHERENT TO OUR FAITH.

  • We must try to be UNITED among us under the One God, One Faith, One Church, One Baptism which we have received from Our Lord Jesus Christ in order to spread the Good News among all nations.
  • This we see in today’s 2nd reading from 1 Cor 1:10–13,17

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.”

4. Christian life is a struggle to destroy the empire of evil, first in our life, and then where God has placed us. At the same time, our vocation to follow Christ entails that we be light-bearers as well.

  • We see in the Gospel how Our Lord chose his 1st disciples in the midst of their daily work. The Commentary to the Gospel of St. Mark of the Navarre Bible states:
    • “These four disciples had already met our Lord (Jn 1:35-42), and their brief meeting with him seems to have had a powerful effect on their souls. In this way Christ prepared their vocation, a fully effective vocation which moved them to leave everything behind so as to follow him and be his disciples. Standing out above their human defects (which the Gospels never conceal), we can see the exemplary generosity and promptness of the Apostles in answering God’s call.
    • The thoughtful reader cannot fail to be struck by the delightful simplicity with which the evangelists describe the calling of these men in the midst of their daily work.
    • “God draws us from the shadows of our ignorance, our groping through history, and, no matter what our occupation in the world, he calls us with a strong voice, as he once called Peter and Andrew” (J. Escrivá, Christ is passing by, 45).
    • “This divine and human dialogue completely changed the life of John and Andrew, and Peter and James and so many others. It prepared their hearts to listen to the authoritative teaching which Jesus gave them beside the Sea of Galilee” (ibid, 108).
    • We should notice the words Sacred Scripture uses to describe the alacrity with which these Apostles follow our Lord. Peter and Andrew “immediately” left their nets and followed him. Similarly, James and John “immediately” left the boats and their father and followed him. God passes by and calls us. If we do not answer him “immediately”, he may continue on his way and we could lose sight of him. When God passes us by, he may do so rapidly; it would be sad if we were to fall behind because we wanted to follow him while still carrying many things that are only a dead weight and a nuisance.”

    To be Christ’s light-bearers, we must try to imitate and identify ourselves with Him, so that His Light will shine and illumine others through us by our life coherent with our faith, founded on prayer, mortification and interior struggle to carry out good works and give good example to others.

    5. Jesus is the light that dispels the darkness we may find ourselves in. Let us trust in Him.

    THE PROPHET Isaiah speaks of a people who walked in darkness and came to see “a great light” (Is 9:1). Its inhabitants, accustomed to living in the shadows, are filled with joy, as the darkness that surrounds them dissipates. This prophecy announces what the arrival of Jesus into the world means: he is that “great light” that gives meaning to the lives of men and frees them from the darkness of sin.

    Certainly, all people go through difficult situations. Some will be more ordinary –a misunderstanding, a change of plans, physical pain–, and others more extraordinary –a serious illness, job loss, a family problem–. Pretending that all this does not affect us can be naive. At the same time, these circumstances lead us precisely to anchor ourselves in what is important to us: Jesus, who offers us comfort and meaning. «Man has been created for happiness. Your thirst for happiness, therefore, is legitimate. Christ has the answer to your desire. But he asks you to trust him» (St John Paul II, Audience, 25-VII-2002).

    We will encounter internal and external difficulties, but let us not forget that:

    The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom should I fear?
    The Lord is my life’s refuge;
    of whom should I be afraid?
    (Psalm 26)

    Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works.
    (Opening prayer).

    PHOTO CREDIT & SOURCES:

    H. HUNT, “Light of the world” in http://www.theroadtofaith.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/light-of-the-world1.jpg; faces in http://new.rejesus.co.uk/images/area_uploads/faces/faces_holman_hunt.jpg;

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