[Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21]
Today we celebrate the 6th annual Sunday of the Word of God. Sunday of the Word of God, was instituted by Pope Francis on September 30th, 2019, to emphasise the significance of Sacred Scripture. The theme this year is taken from Psalm 119 and links with our Jubilee Year of Hope ‘I hope in your word.’ In today’s first reading we hear how the people of Israel reacted to hearing the Word of God for the first time back in their homeland following the exile in Babylon. They were moved to tears as they listened to the words from the Book of the Law. They were told this was a holy day as they worshipped the Lord, and they were told to eat the fat and drink the sweet wine and to give a share to those who did not have any. I wonder if this prompted people back then to consider those less fortunate than themselves and perhaps even more importantly, does it have the same impact on us here today? They were also told not to worry for the joy of the Lord is their strength.
How do we react when we hear the Word of the Lord? Are we moved to tears?
When we have been troubled or gone through difficult times, do we find comfort in hearing or reading the Word of God?
In the second reading we are told that we are all part of the Body of Christ, St Paul emphasises this and insists that no one part is more important than another. If one part is sick then it affects the whole body. This is why it hurts as so much when loved ones fall away from the Church or if someone we consider to be a close Christian friend is reported to have been gossiping about us. This past week we have been praying for Christian Unity; asking God to bring the separated parts of the Body of Christ closer; allowing us to work in union with each other; to be one, just as Jesus prayed for us to be one. This week I have been with Christians from other traditions working at the Night shelter, working at the Foodbank and visiting people in hospital. Without these vital services more people would die on our streets from the harsh winter weather. More people would struggle to feed their families and themselves and people in hospital would be left feeling lonely, unloved and unwanted. We all do a little bit; and whilst we should not under-estimate the impact it has on people; there is always more to do. Perhaps God is calling you to consider how you can help someone else. If you hear that call, please answer it; someone else may be depending on you. Don’t be tempted to leave it to someone else; perhaps someone you think is more capable than you; be aware of the special individual gifts you have been given by God; to be shared with others.
In the Gospel today, first we hear how St Luke started his Gospel account, he writes to Theophilus; which is a Greek name which means ‘lover of God’; his account as he understands it, was written for the gentile communities; stressing that Jesus was not just for the Jewish people, but that Jesus is a Saviour for the whole world. In this passage we hear how the Word of God was fulfilled. This emphasises how the Holy Spirit fires up God’s mission. We hear that Jesus returned in the ‘power of the Spirit’ and in the words Jesus read from Isaiah 61 we hear that ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.’ It is this same Holy Spirit which we receive initially at our Baptism and then again at our Confirmation which prompts us to continuously seek God.
Through Sacred Scriptures and the Sacraments, we maintain our relationship with God. Sacred Scripture is not some historic works which has no relevance to us. Sacred Scripture is the Word of God, it is the story of our Salvation and if we are to succeed in our journey back to the Father; back to our heavenly home, then we need to immerse ourselves in Scripture.
To help us with this the Vatican have issued a handbook for today’s celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God.[1] In the handbook there are some reflections, a Lectio Divina and suggestions for taking the Gospel out into the world with us in our everyday activities. These include carrying a small book of the Gospels with us or having a Bible app on our phones to allow us to read Scritpures wherever we are.
Every week we have the opportunity to take what we have understood from the Scriptures and go out and put them into action and, if there is anything that we have not understood, to make a note to take the time to look it up at home or approach/discuss with a fellow parishioner; this is what we are called to do when at the end of Mass we are dismissed with ‘Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord’ or ‘Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life. The Word of God is not meant to be kept locked away in a rolled-up scroll or in a closed Missal, it is meant to be taken out into the world by the faithful by what we do and what we say.
How will we fulfil this duty this week?
Further Reading
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
CCC 714: Old Testament expectation of the Messiah and the Spirit
CCC 1965-1974: new Law and Gospel
CCC 106, 108, 515: God inspires human authors of Scripture, and readers
CCC 787-795: the Church as the Body of Christ
ENG Sussidio DPD 25 – Handbook issued by the Vatican for the 2025 Sunday of the Word of God
Please keep in your prayers this week
- The sick and housebound, those who are dying and those who are grieving.
- Father Jean-Patrice that he makes a full recovery.
- The continued fight to protect all life from conception until natural death.
- The Basingstoke Winter Night Shelter as it continues to support the homeless in our town.
- The Baptism Preparation Course which starts online on Sunday 26th.
- Fr John Chadwick, who is ill at this time.
Deacon Tony, 25th January 2025