Ordinary Time

Jan 14 2025

Getting into the Kingdom

Billy Collins’ poem “The Afterlife” proposes that when we die, we will all go to the place where we always expected to go. And so, some will end up in the light, others before a judge; some will be singing in the choir, others seated around a food-filled table. He concludes somewhat wistfully, saying that the rest will just end up in their coffins, wishing they could return to do things they never did.

Matthew’s Gospel has a lot to say about the kingdom of heaven, beginning with the Beatitudes, which can be thought of as “Be-Attitudes,” ways of being in the world now that will get you into the world yet to come. They are not the usual rungs on the ladder to success that call for calculation, competition, and caring little for anyone other than oneself.

Being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek, hungering and thirsting for justice (God’s, not the usual brand meted out in our world), showing mercy, being clean of heart, making peace, and putting up with persecution—this can sound like an eight-step program for being losers in the world.

But to those who chose to walk these ways, Jesus declares, “Blessed are they,” and promises that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). Or, as Paul puts it, God chooses the nobodies to work on, with, and through. It’s enough to make you search out another kingdom. Only there you might not end up being blessed, just wishing you could return to do things you never did—but should have.

Consider/Discuss

What is your notion of the kingdom of heaven?
To which of the groups Jesus names do you feel most akin? Which are least related to your life?
Which quality do you hear Jesus inviting you to take up?

Responding to the Word

We pray that we may become seekers of the kingdom of heaven now and learn the wisdom of God that was embodied in Jesus, a wisdom that will bring us to share in the “righteousness, sanctification, and redemption” that are to be found by living in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Jan 14 2025

Scripture Study for

Zephaniah addresses the people with a threefold exhortation: Seek the Lord! Seek righteousness! Seek humility! Israel is told to seek the Lord after having violated the covenant; to seek righteousness after having turned to sin; to seek humility after having acted arrogantly. The second part of the reading provides a very different picture. This section is an oracle of salvation, loving words of God that offer assurance and hope. The path of righteousness followed by the remnant will be the consequence of their deliverance, not its cause. The blessings are not rewards for their fidelity. Rather, every good that comes to them is a gift from God.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that, judged by the standards of society, they are really nobodies. They have little about which they can boast. According to Paul, God chooses the nobodies of the world in order to shame those who think they are somebodies. Those who lack honor in the eyes of the world are highly honored by God by being chosen, while those whom the world honors are shamed by being overlooked by God. God acts this way so that no one can boast of her or his own accomplishments. Since every good thing is received because of Christ, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).

The sermon on the mount was directed to Jesus’ close followers, not to the broader crowds. While his teachings are all in some way directed toward the establishment of the reign of God, the type of behavior or values that he advocates here is frequently the opposite of that espoused by society at large. This fact offers us a way to understand the challenges set before us in the Beatitudes.

One way to interpret them is to look first at the blessings promised. We may see that the behavior that Jesus is advocating is at odds with what society claims will guarantee the blessing that we seek.

Jan 14 2025

Living in the Light

During this annual week of praying for Christian Unity, it may be either consoling or disheartening to realize that from the beginning there were divisions in the church. In Paul’s day, the bickering arose in Corinth over rival loyalties: “I belong to Paul . . . to Peter . . . to Apollos . . . to Christ.” Paul tries to put an end to this from the start, asking the various factions, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:13).

Today’s readings remind us that the darkness of division, whether among nations, churches, or families, is not part of the kingdom of heaven. Diversity, yes; division, no. The light that Christ came and continues to bring is the light that allows us to look into the face of our brother and sister and see the face of God.

Jesus came into Galilee preaching the good news of the coming of God’s rule, proclaiming that God’s loving presence was here even now: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). There is an urgency here, a call to repent, change, seek, and accept God’s rule in our lives. This call is as urgent for us today as it was then. As nations continue to build up arsenals of nuclear weapons, there is an unparalleled possibility of devastation on a global level.

Jesus continues to seek others to join him in preaching this gospel message. A divided community is a counter-sign, not serving to bring about the kingdom. The death of Christ was to heal such divisions. When we settle for division, we “empty the cross of Christ of its meaning.”

Consider/Discuss

Do I hear Jesus’ call to repent as if it is spoken to me?
Have I made peace with division in my life where there could be unity?

Responding to the Word

Turn to Psalm 27 (today’s responsorial psalm) and use it for meditation. Today’s short response can also serve as a mantra during the coming week: “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” We pray that the Lord deliver us from any division that threatens the body of Christ and that we live in the light and be a light for others.

Jan 14 2025

Scripture Study for

Isaiah speaks about the reversal of the fortunes of Israel; the former times of hardship are contrasted with the present experience of salvation. The nation had been overrun by foreigners, but now that the land has been returned to Israel, the hardships that accompanied defeat and occupation have been lifted and the darkness is dispelled. The darkness included social disintegration, political col

lapse, and religious devastation. The reversal of fortunes is characterized by light. Salvation came when God dispelled the darkness and burst upon the land with the brightness of shining light. Truly the fortunes have been reversed, and the saving grace of God has taken over the world.

The Corinthian church was rife with bickering and pettiness. The natural differences that existed in the group had degenerated into rivalry. If left unchecked this rivalry could develop into serious divisions, even schism. In his appeal for unity, Paul addresses the Corinthians as brothers (and sisters), indicating that he considers them as companion members of the Christian community. Groups within the community claimed allegiance to various individuals. Paul insists that since Christ cannot be divided, neither the teachings nor the personal characteristics of religious leaders can be allowed to rival their allegiance to Christ.

John’s imprisonment signaled both the end of his ministry and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It was not Jesus’ intent to pick up where John left off. Although he preached the same repentance as did the Baptist, he did it in fulfillment of the prophecies rather than in anticipation of a future event as John did. His first move was to call some followers. Two sets of brothers—Simon and Andrew, James and John—were called away from their occupation. It should be noted that these men were called; they did not initiate their own discipleship, as followers of rabbis normally did. The reign of God had come. The newly called disciples were witnesses of its appearance.

Jan 14 2025

Our Holiness

To be a disciple of Jesus Christ means to learn from him. He is the teacher, we the students; he is the master, we his servants. But what is it we are to learn? One important title for Jesus is the Lamb of God who has come to serve by taking away our sin. He serves by leading us to participate in the holiness of God. We are to do the same for others.

Jesus came to understand his own calling by reading and praying the book of the prophet Isaiah, especially the four poems found there called the Servant Songs. Today we hear part of the second song in which the servant professes how he was formed as servant from the womb, not only to bring back Israel to God, but to be a light to the nations, so God’s “salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

Those who serve Jesus as disciples are to join in this work of bringing God’s salvation to the world. Paul recognizes this in his greeting to the Corinthians, noting his call to be an apostle of Christ, one sent by God to the church at Corinth, which has been made holy in Christ and called to be holy. Paul is sent not only to them, but to “all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:2).

God’s will is our holiness. By responding to the call to know Jesus as the Lamb of God, we accept the invitation to participate in this holiness and become the vehicle for inviting others to dwell there.

Consider/Discuss

Do you believe that you are called to holiness? What does this mean? How do you respond to this call?
Does your call to be a disciple lead you to pray for the world to grow in holiness?

Responding to the Word

When at Mass, we call on Jesus several times as the Lamb of God—at the beginning in the Gloria and twice in preparation for Communion. Pray for our world this day to recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.