Let us consider some themes of this Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, in particular the themes of the Word of God, divisions and dissensions in the Church, and family ties in the context of the call of the apostles.
The first reading, from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, speaks to us of people that had walked in darkness, and are now seeing a great light. Today is the first annual Sunday of the Word of God: perhaps it would be helpful for us to consider how much the Holy Scripture, the Bible, “is a lamp to my feetand a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, RSV). In facing the different situations of life, in making decisions, great or small, how much do we rely upon the Holy Scripture, particularly the Gospel? Dei Verbum, Vatican II’s constitution on Divine Revelation, states that “in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them” (Dei Verbum, 21). Yes, it is indeed the Father who wants to encounter us, to meet us, and to speak to us in His great care and compassion for every single human being. Reading, prayer and meditation of the Word of God is a privileged place to meet the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Our second reading, from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, is an appeal to not have divisions or dissensions, in Greek schismata. St. Pope Paul VI, in his prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae, quotes this same passage, as he asks priests that they present the teaching of the Church on marriage in an unambiguous way (Humanae Vitae, 28). Yes indeed, there can be no division, schisma, or separation between the procreative and the unitive, in the marital act. At the same time, the Pope states that if “there are serious motives to space out births”, it is “then licit to take into account the natural rhythms in the generative functions”, as the couple considers their conjugal life together (Humanae Vitae, 16).
As we hear the words of St. Paul addressed to the Corinthians, we should also remember to not look at the Church as a political organization, where different factions are in conflict with each other, and constantly jockey for position. “I belong to Cephas”, or Paul, or Apollos, or Christ. St. Paul puts it pretty bluntly in asking, “Was Paul crucified for you?” St. Augustine, commenting on this passage, mentions that St. Paul is a “friend of the Bridegroom…He wills not to be loved in the place of the Bridegroom, that he may reign with the Bridegroom” (The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, M.F. Toal ed., vol. 3, pg. 30, 1959). In other words, St. Paul wants to take the attention off of himself, and give it to Christ, where it properly belongs. Perhaps this would be helpful for us as well, as we evaluate various movements and groups within the Church, and even as we evaluate those who claim to have received extraordinary graces and visions – in the end, are they garnering attention for themselves, putting themselves on center stage – or are they truly concerned with the Body of Christ and saying, “don’t pay attention to me – Christ should be your main focus of attention”?
Despite the power politics that at times demonstrate themselves, the Church is a living body, made up of different members, with Christ as the cornerstone. Despite human failings, the Church is always drawing upon the supernatural power, the unitive strength, of Jesus Christ, Her founder, which is coupled with the generative strength – as the Church continually gives birth to new members, through baptism. It is Christ who gives the apostles and their successors, especially Peter, their strength and authority.
In the Gospel, we have the beautiful call of two pairs of brothers – Jesus asks Peter and Andrew, James and John, to follow Him. Family ties between brothers and sisters, parents and children, these are not made obsolete by the Gospel – instead, they are transformed. Perhaps we too can ask Jesus in prayer – help me to transform my family relationships, so that they are more conformed, more in line, with the Gospel. This transformation is effected, is started by, an encounter with the Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, who encountered God in family ties, and St. Joseph, who faithfully assisted his spouse, to intercede for us today.
(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, OMI, Jan. 26, 2020)