Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Fr. Michael D. Accinni Reinhardt, MA, Mdiv, MS  |  01/26/2025  |  This Sunday's Reading

We watched for Jesus in Advent; we celebrated His coming in the flesh at Christmas; we praised His worldwide sovereignty at Epiphany, while adoring Him with the magi; and then we found how pleased His Father was in His baptism, we now move on. We now come to Ordinary Time, which, scripturally speaking, is simply a season of following. But first it’s as if the church wants to give us a heads-up. That is, these first two weeks of Ordinary Time point out the purpose of the journey, where we are headed and why.

Last Sunday, we heard the story of the wedding at Cana, “the beginning of His signs”. A story so rich and full of truth after truth, it is ultimately a sign pointing to the fulfillment Jesus will bring about in Himself. The church, it seems, wants to remind us of the true point of this journey with Jesus that we’ve just begun. Following Jesus is meant to lead us to heaven, and it’s also meant to lead our brothers and sisters to heaven too. In today’s gospel, that is much like an “inaugural address” in the synagogue of Nazareth, we are challenged to listen to the Word, accept it into our hearts, then put it into practice as we live out our lives, thus freeing ourselves and others from all types of burdens. Today’s first reading, and the Gospel each describe a public reading of Sacred Scripture which challenges the hearers to make a “fresh beginning” with a new outlook. The Second Reading, reminds us that “together we are Christ’s Body, but each of us is a different part of it.” This suggests that, as different parts of Christ’s Body, each of us has a share, as instruments in God’s hands, in helping to bring the mission of Christ to our world and in our times. In the Gospel, on a Sabbath, Jesus stood before the people in the synagogue of His hometown, Nazareth, reading and interpreting what Isaiah had prophesied about the Messiah and His mission. Jesus claims that He is One sent “to bring glad tidings to the poor, liberation to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and freedom for the oppressed”. To the amazement and disbelief of His own townsmen, Jesus declares that Isaiah’s prophecy is being fulfilled at that very moment "in your hearing,” because the prophecy foretells and describes Jesus’ own mission and ministry. Jesus’ mission is still to give freedom to everyone who will listen to His “Good News,” accept it and put it into practice. We too need to receive Christ’s freedom, live it, and pass it on to others: As members of Christ’s Mystical Body, we share in the freeing, saving mission of Jesus. Since we are captives of sin, we need Jesus to set us free. We are often blinded by our evil habits, addictions, and need for financial security. Once Jesus gives us the freedom, we have to share it with those we encounter in our daily lives. We need to share it with our families, neighborhoods, parishes, schools, and workplaces. We need to let the power of the Holy Spirit fill us, and then be ready to share Jesus’ work through us. Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus performed miracles because He was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us be ready to become Spirit-filled instruments of Christ’s saving freedom.