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Third Sunday In Ordinary Time ~ HOMILY

Christ, Light For All In Darkness

 

Homily by Fr. Kerkmann, SJ
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time at 12 Noon Mass
St. Ignatius Church, Tokyo
(Is 8:23b-39; 1Cor 1:10-13;17; Mt 4:12-23)

 

 

In the mass at Christmas we heard this quote from Isaiah: “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” (Mt 4:18)

Matthew’s Gospel for today describes the beginning of Jesus’ public life and repeats this quotation from the prophet Isaiah.

These words were fulfilled when Jesus was born into this world because the people, that means all people who were in the shadow of death, and in darkness, saw for the first and the only time in history, a new light, a new hope, the hope that makes it possible for us to step out from the shadow of death into the light of eternal life. God became man; that means mankind is forever connected with God. We became God’s children and heirs of God’s kingdom. Our life is not moving towards death, but towards Life in the Fullest. Our basic longing for life will not be frustrated; it finds its fulfillment and its guarantee in Jesus Christ.

This is great and wonderful news! But this Good News needs to be proclaimed, because humankind does not know this news; without knowledge of the Good News we cannot have any hope. That is why Jesus begins His public life with the proclamation of God’s Kingdom that has already begun when He, the Son of God, became man.

We have to be aware of our redemption, this word of Hope. Matthew believes that this quotation from Isaiah fits not only the birth of Jesus, but also the beginnings of Jesus’ preaching activities. And what is the content of His preaching?

“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus starts where John the Baptist left off, with the appeal to turn around, repent, and begin a new way of life. But Jesus gives a new reason for His call to repent. He says the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” God Himself appeared among us; the Son of God became Man. He became our brother. He is in solidarity with us, even in suffering and death.

John the Baptist did not stop at teaching. The mere knowledge about our redemption is not enough. It calls for action, namely for baptism and acts of charity.

Jesus, too, does not stop at teaching. The arrival of God’s Kingdom calls for action. And the first action is the forming of a new community. That is why Jesus begins to call disciples to form a new community with Him. This group of disciples will be the leaven that will transform all of humanity.

Jesus gathers His first disciples and makes their task clear from the start: “I will make you fishers of men.” These men all came from a background similar to that of John the Baptist. Jesus knew them already. Now He calls them into His fellowship. They leave everything behind: their nets, their boats, even their father and mother, to enter into His discipleship that will be central to leading humankind to a new community.

Reflecting on this, we may understand that we, too, are called into fellowship with Jesus. Our first vocation is not literally fishing nets, meaning our own endeavor, our professional competence, our success, our social standing and so on may differ from the disciples. Just as the disciples we may be very efficient in our work on the lake of Galilee in a figurative sense. Galilee for us signifies the world. Yes, that is important, too. We should be good at what we are doing in our world as the disciples were in Galilee. Needless to say we should be professional in our jobs in our world. Jesus calls us here to form a new society, a society of love and friendship, not a society of discrimination where we begin to build walls to separate ‘them from us’.

At the end of our lives we will not be asked how great we were, how successful, how much money we have earned. At the end there will be only one question: how much have you loved; how did you contribute to make this world a better place for everyone; how much did you do to make other people happy; how much did you do to make other people’s lives more abundant.

This is the way to true freedom, to a real peace. Peace between men and women, peace with nature, and peace with God. And this is the only way to true happiness and joy.

I wish you all this joy!

 

 

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