OMELIE / Omelie EN

26 gen 2025

26/01/2025 - 3rd Sunday in O. T. - year C

26/01/2025 - 3^rd Sunday in O. T. - year 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

Sunday dedicated to the Word of God

We have closed yesterday the Octave of prayer for Christian Unity: a prayer always needed, first of all to realise that every rift among believers in Jesus Christ is a scandal, an obstacle for the faith of those who still do not believe.

Jesus knows that many are attracted to Him to find salvation, if we are united in the faith and love. So, Saint Paul too wants to help us today to be firm in being united to our brethren, despite their weaknesses and their sins. He does so by laying out the similarity with the unity of all the parts of our body.

The way in which the different body parts move it is a convincing example, but, as always, in order to follow our beliefs we need interior strength, a great love for Jesus and His kingdom, more than for our own person and our good ideas. When the love for Jesus will grow in our Churches, then we will take concrete steps towards unity. On our part we should try, every day, but always for the love of Jesus, to cultivate unity in our family, parish and in the faith or charity groups the Lord has placed us in. Love for Jesus will not bear any fruit in us, so not even the one of unity among different Churches, 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 community, for the whole people.

The first reading, taken from the Book of Nehemiah, is showing us a people which is listening to the Word of God very carefully, in a humble and joyful way and, at the same time, seriously. The people had already come back from the exile in Babylon: there, it was living without the Word. The Book had been found at its return, among the ruins. Therefore, it is read and preached strongly while standing «on a wooden platform that had been made for the occasion». This particular detail is telling us about the importance of the Word, which needs to be acknowledged. That Word will become a reference point for each one of us’ life, the thread which keeps together and stabilises the communion for the joy of older people and young, rich and poor. It gives the instructions for the changes that are needed in everyone’s life, and also in the social life, so everyone may become a support and consolation for others, instead of a source of suffering.

Jesus too, introducing Himself in Nazareth, is using the Word of God. It is useful, first of all and exclusively, exactly to get to know Him, The Word made flesh, thought and will of the Father’s love for us become human life. The reading found on the scroll of Isaiah and proclaimed by Jesus, is opening our eyes and heart to join Him, God’s Servant, who does not want to impose, but only offer Himself to us. This is why we think the Scriptures of the Old Testament are important: they will need to focus our attention and confirm our agreement with those words which will come firmly and naturally later on from Jesus’ very own mouth.

In the passage He has read is written that God’s Servant will announce «the year of the Lord's favor». With this expression, they meant a year of Jubilee. The presence of Jesus in the World is truly a never ending Jubilee: He has invited to forgive the enemies, pray for the persecutors, not to accumulate wealth but instead to distribute it, as Zacchaeus had done when he had welcomed Him in his house. The Jubilee we are celebrating this year will have to be a time for true obedience to all the words of Jesus: there will be then great changes in everyone’s personal and social life!

Saint Luke, as the introduction to his Gospel says, has understood the importance of Jesus’ life, in itself Word of God. He has then gone about “investigating everything accurately” and has committed himself, making available to the Holy Spirit all his intelligence and his skills of writer and serious researcher to give us, as support for our faith and love and for the growth and unity of the Church, a good and precise description of what the Lord has done, and a record of what He has said.

Helped by his work of evangelist, we enjoy Jesus’ presence, who is bringing among us the light and the joy of God’s Holy Spirit. Let us join Him and grow the way we value and look for every action and word of His. Our life of Christians will certainly be way more knowing and joyful.