ME
NU

OMELIE / Omelie EN

23 gen 2022
23/01/2022 – 3rd Sunday in O. T. - C

23/01/2022 3rd Sunday in O. T. - C

Reading 1 NEH 8,2-4.5-6.8-10 Psalm 18 Reading 2 1 COR 12,12-31 Gospel LK 1,1-4; 4,14-21

Octave of prayer for unity among Christians

We are living in the octave of prayer for unity among Christians: it is a necessary prayer. First of all, it allows us to realise that every division among believers in Jesus Christ is a scandal, an obstacle on the path towards faith for those who do not believe yet. Jesus knows that, if we are united in the faith and love, many will be attracted to Him to be saved. So Saint Paul too wants to help us be determined to remain united to our brethren, notwithstanding their weaknesses and their sins. He does so by detailing the similarity with the members of our body. It is a convincing example but, as usual, in order to act upon our convinction, we need internal strength, a great love for Jesus and His kingdom more than for our body and our good ideas. When the love for God will grow in the Churches, steps will be taken towards unity. On our part we are looking, for the love for Jesus, for cultivating unity in our parish or in the faith group in which the Lord has placed us. In order to have that internal strength, we shall make the prayer of immersion in the Father’s heart more lively and uninterrupted.

The love for Jesus will not produce any fruit in us, and neither then the one of unity of the Church, if we do not love His Word. It is the nourishment of the life of the believer, nourishment for every single faithful person and for the whole community, for the whole people. Today’s first reading is showing us a people carefully listening, humble, joyful and, at the same time, serious, to God’s Word. That people had just been brought back from exile in Babylon and was starting rebuilding the city and the temple, destroyed seventy years before. Among the rubbles had been found the scroll of the Law, the written word of God: a sensational discovery, a sign that God was still willing to talk to the people which was rediscovering its identity. So Ezra, the scribe, gathers everyone so they can listen to the reading of the book. At dawn they are all in the square to listen, until midday. Joy was mixed with tears, because that reading was helping everyone to become aware of their sins.

That Word, the Word of God, will become for us too the reference point for the life of each one of us and the coexistence with others, will be the bond uniting and stabilising the communion and will give joy to adults and youngsters, wealthy and poor. It gives the instructions for the changes necessary for everyone’s life, so it might change from source of suffering to support and consolation for others.

Jesus too, showing up in Nazareth, is introduced by the Word of God. First of all, it is useful exactly in order to get to know Him, Word made flesh, thought and will of the Father’s love for us, love become human life. The reading given by Jesus and found in the book of Isaiah opens our eyes and ears to be united to Him, the Servant of God, really a servant who does not want to force himself on us, but offer himself to us. This is why is important the Word of the Scriptures in the Old Testament: it awakens our attention and confirms the agreement with those words which came out of Jesus' very mouth.

Saint Luke, as he says in the introduction to his gospel which we have also heard, has understood the importance of Jesus' life, true Word of God. He therefore has set out to go “investigating everything accurately” and he has made an effort, putting at the Holy Spirit’s disposal all his intelligence and his skills of writer and serious researcher, to give us, as a support for our faith, our love and the growth and unity of the Church, a good and faithful description of how much the Lord has done and a report of everything He has said. Helped by his work of evangelist we can enjoy the presence of Jesus, who is taking among us the light and the joy of God’s Holy Spirit. Let us adhere to His person and grow the appreciation and fame of every action of His and every word of His. Our life of Christians will certainly be way more mature and joyful!