The Word Of God Is The Source Of Unity Among All

HOMILY FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD, YEAR A, JANUARY 22, 2023

“Ignorance of the Bible Is ignorance of Christ.”
–St. Jerome

SUNDAY READINGS

Today there are many Spurious interpretations and prophecies in God’s name, leading to divisions in Christianity. Let us be mindful that God does not contradict Himself in His Word. The Bible and also the Traditions contain the unquestionable truth and fullness of Divine Revelation. —Clem Aladi

My dearest friends in Christ,
I welcome you to the table of God’s refreshing and enlightening Word. May His Word be a light in the darkness of your lives. Today we celebrate a special Sunday declared by His Holiness as the SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD. Today we enthrone the Word of God in our lives and acknowledge its centrality in our Christian formation, lives, and values.

The Word Of God In The Words of Men

The Holy Spirit took complete control over the faculties of the biblical writers (hagiographers), such that the Bible can be described as the Word of God in the words of men and an inspired book. The Bible is not just a book, but a collection of books(a library). The Bible is divided into the Old and New Covenants or Testaments. The NT is the fulfillment of the OT with Christ being the Fulfillment of the New Covenant and the Centre of the New Testament. Even though translated and re-translated into many vernacular versions from the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic original languages, the Word of God remains unaltered. The Pentecostals rejected many books(Deuterocanonical) as non-inspired, leading to incomplete Pentecostal versions, such as the King James version. Yet the Bible remains the WORD OF GOD and embodies the truth and fulness of Divine Revelation. The Bible is a standard (canon) for measuring how our lives conform to the eternally revealed truth. (c.f 2 Tim 3:16)

Devote Time To Read, Pray and Study The Bible

I encourage you to read and reflect daily on the Bible. If you don’t have a bible, you are like a car driving on a foggy night without headlights. Be careful, otherwise, you will crash.

The Word Of God Unites And Is Not A Source Of Rivalry

It is not a coincidence that St. Paul in the second reading of today lamented about the rivalry and division among the Corinthians. The Corinthians were divided regarding their preachers: Apollos was a contemporary of Paul and played a significant role in the establishment of the Church in Corinth and in forming Paul himself. The division was such that many called themselves disciples of Apollos and others of Paul. The attitude of the Corinthian Christians is very much alive today in Christianity. Many pastors are becoming more famous than Christ Himself and creating unnecessary tension and division in Christendom through their unguided utterances for material benefits. Fr. Ehusani would say that the Christianity of today is one that neither Christ nor His disciples would recognize. We live in an age where the number of the congregation determines how powerful the Man of God is and how rich will be the collections. Many preachers are no longer preaching Christ.

Let Every Interpretation Be Guided By The Holy Spirit

Paradoxically speaking, the interpretation of the Word of God has been a major source of division in Christendom. This is owing to many preachers who have left the Word of God and are preaching their human wisdom (the word of men) and showcasing their eloquence in a very competitive manner. This is why many scientific speculations, probabilistic predictions, and inferential guesses now qualify as prophecy.“Above all else, however, remember that no one can explain by himself or herself a prophecy in the Scriptures. For no prophetic message ever came just from human will, but people were under the control of the Holy Spirit as they spoke the message that came from God” (Cf. 2 Peter 1: 20-21). Most preachers today, instead of unifying all men with God’s Word, they are further causing divisions. If we all would preach the Word of God and live by it, then restoring unity would be an easy task. The proliferation of churches and many versions and interpretations of the Bible is among the major causes of division in Christendom today. Paul made it clear that Christ is never divided, so we must not be divided because of Christ. We are to be followers of Christ and not just popular preachers. God’s Word is never contradictory, so preachers should stop contradicting each other based on God’s Word. All the contradictions today stem from human misinterpretations.

Let The Early Church Be Our Example

At this juncture let’s remind ourselves of the unique qualities that characterized the life of the early Christian community in Acts 2. They were united in preaching and sharing the Word of God; in the breaking of the bread; in fellowship (koinonia) and in prayers. These four marks are what we need to remain united in a divided Church. “In what is necessary, unity; in what is not necessary, liberty and in all things charity.” –St. Augustine

The Word Of God is Light in Our Darkened World

The first reading contains the prophetic reference to Christ as the Light that dispels darkness. Matthew wanted his readers to recognize that the Light of which Isaiah spoke had finally appeared with the coming of Jesus.

We Are All Invited To Proclaim and Preach The Word of God

In the Gospel, Matthew explains that what Isaiah prophesied has been fulfilled through the preaching and healing ministry of Jesus. By His ministry of inviting people to the Kingdom of God through repentance, Jesus has brought Light to people living in darkness, thus fulfilling God’s original promise. In addition, the Gospel describes the call of the first disciples (4:18-22) and Jesus’ preaching, teaching, and healing ministry which has led people to repent of their sins and accept the Good News of God’s rule (the Kingdom of God). He has also chosen ordinary fishermen with no formal training in Mosaic Law to preach the Good News. They were very effective instruments in the hands of the Holy Spirit, continuing Jesus’ mission to the world. Yes, the first disciples had no formal training in biblical exegesis or scriptures, but God empowered them and they remained faithful to their calling. They preached and taught only the Wisdom of God and not their wisdom. We are privileged to receive the Word of God in its purity and truth, thanks to these faithful witnesses. The spontaneity of their response to their calling is deeply challenging to us. They abandoned their professions to take up a new job for God. We all may not be pastors of a church, but we are all called to be faithful witnesses in word and action. Let us respond to God’s Call with the same spontaneity as the first disciples. We must never allow anything to be a distraction on our way.

We need to appreciate our call to be Christ’s disciples: Every one of us is called by God, both individually and as Church members, to be His disciple. This call is both a privilege and a responsibility. The mission of preaching, teaching, and healing which Jesus began in Galilee is now the responsibility of the Church and each Christian.

Let Us Foster Unity Through God’s Word

Let us heal the world by fostering unity at every level and by whatever means available to us, especially with the Word of God. To be a true Christian is to live beyond any form of rivalry or division. Many are divided along religious lines due to doctrines. Must religion also be an instrument of division? No! It is time to rise and reclaim our common patrimony as God’s Children, irrespective of our religious beliefs. Just as division is the greatest threat to unity, love is the greatest antidote to division. May the Word of God unite us into one brotherhood, so that His Light will shine in the darkness brought about by division in our world.

May the Word of God unite us into one brotherhood, so that His Light will shine in the darkness brought about by division in our world.

MY RECOMMENDATION FOR GETTING YOUR BIBLE

Keep reading and reflecting daily on the Bible. If you are a Catholic don’t forget to buy any of these versions:
1. The New Jerusalem Bible which is mostly used in the liturgy.
2. The New Revised Standard version is mostly used for teaching in schools.
3. The Good News and other editions are simplified for easy comprehension and for personal and community devotionals.
Please ensure that the Bible you buy has the deuterocanonical books for a more complete version.