3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Prayer

Loving Father,

Open our hearts to your Word. May your Son, the Word of Life, fill us with joy as we reflect on his life, death, and resurrection. May we rejoice in his presence among us as we break open Scripture and share our faith together. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Commentary

1st Reading: Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10 

The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah were written after the Babylonian Exile. Here the people of Israel are able to return from exile and, under the direction of Ezra and Nehemiah, they rebuild the temple and reclaim the laws of their holy nation.

Our reading from Nehemiah shares the first proclamation of the Holy Law since the temple was restored. The people are spellbound and weep as it is read by Ezra the priest.

Their weeping stems from the guilt they had for their past sins which was the cause of their Exile. Ezra is quick, however, to encourage the people. “Do not be sad, and do not weep,” he says. “Today is holy to the Lord.” He encourages them to rejoice in the Lord their strength.

Whenever we return from our sins (our own exile) and are welcomed by God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation we might find ourselves weeping. Soon, however, our weeping turns to rejoicing when we recognize that Christ has forgiven us.

Question:

How is the Sacrament of Reconciliation a moment for weeping and rejoicing in your spiritual journey?

2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30

In our 1st Reading, both Ezra the priest and Nehemiah the temple builder had their particular calling by God to help restore Israel after the Exile. They each new their duty and calling and, working together, they helped to bring peace to Jerusalem.

As we consider our own calling, we recognize that we cannot all have the same charisms and duties. Each person within the Church has a specific gift for building up the Kingdom of God.

St. Paul reminds us that “the body is not a single part, but many.” He says, “You are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.”

In our present world, we find various role confusions. Should a wife take the husband’s role, the husband take the wife’s role, the parent be the “friend” of the child, etc. Often, role confusion is born out of jealousy. As we consider our vocations in the Church, there should be no confusion or jealousy. Our purpose for each of our vocations in life is the same: to build up the Body of Christ.

Question:

Do you know your vocation in the Church? What is its purpose?

Gospel: Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

As Ezra opened up the Holy Law in our 1st Reading, Jesus unrolls the scroll in our Gospel. Reading from Isaiah, Jesus’ crowd is spellbound. They listen attentively as he says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me.”

The proclamation of the Word of God is only as powerful as its reception. The response of the crowds in our 1st Reading and our Gospel is the same. They are in awe as these holy men utter the Word of God. They are in awe, because they are ready and receptive to whatever God has to say.

However, Jesus then says something in our Gospel that catches his assembly off guard. Rolling up the scroll, he says, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” In other words, he is saying that he is the anointed one (the Messiah). In just these few short words, he has presented his credentials and thus

established his role. This will create a firestorm within the crowd (read next weekend’s Gospel). Though his identity and role is made clear, the crowd’s reception becomes hostile.

Question:

How are you receptive to the Word of God? Are you one who filters out what you would prefer not to hear or are you open to hearing all of God’s Holy Word?

This Week’s Task

Every person has a vocation in the Church.

The root meaning of vocation is “calling” and the first calling shared by all Christians is holiness as a member of the Church. After that, there are four basic states of life or vocations within the Catholic Church: marriage, consecrated life, priesthood and the single state as a lay person. Have you discovered your vocation? How can you help another discover his or her own vocation?

Group Prayer

All say the following:

Father,

we’re your people, the work of your hands. So precious are we in your sight that you sent your Son, Jesus.

Jesus calls us to heal the broken-hearted, to dry the tears of those who mourn, to give hope to those who despair,

and to rejoice in your steadfast love.

We, the baptized, realize our call to serve. Help us to know how.

The prayer continues with Psalm 19.

Psalm 

Response: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul;

The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;

The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart

find favor before you,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Conclude with an Our Father 

Used with permission. All rights reserved. Christ in Our Neighborhood is a Scripture program designed by Bishop John P. Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix.