Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Daily Missal, January-February 2023

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
3rd week in the Psalter

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 8:23b-9:3 )
In the past the Lord humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will make glorious the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in a land of gloom a light has shone. You have multiplied the joy, you have increased the gladness. They rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and as they exult when dividing the spoils. For you have broken the yoke that burdened them, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor, as on the day of Midian. - The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

In this prophecy the prophet refers to a very precise geographical area: Galilee. It is precisely from that region, considered “dark,” that the light of the world will emerge: God, who will reveal himself by coming to earth as a man. This first announcement is immediately followed by another: the multiplication of joy. Inner gladness is the sign of God's presence in the human heart. In the Old Testament this joy is only announced; in the age of the Church it is fulfilled. We must ask ourselves whether this feeling is within us or whether we allow ourselves to be caught up in the concerns of the world. Christian joy comes from within; the joy the world gives comes and goes, and provides no certainty of eternal salvation. Christian joy is the joy that God has given us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. If we do not have it, we simply need to ask for it insistently, invoke the Holy Spirit, and praise the Lord. Sadness, Saint Francis of Assisi used to say, is the characteristic of Satan and those who are with him. God, on the other hand, gives joy and multiplies it every time we encounter him in the Eucharist.

SECOND READING

From the first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians  (1 Cor 1:10-13,17)
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, so that there may be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you. What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” “I belong to Apollos,” “I belong to Cephas,” “I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the Gospel, not with the wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. - The word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

The unity of the Church is the guarantee that the Holy Spirit dwells and acts within it. Discord, on the contrary, reveals that something is wrong, and something serious. In his Letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul includes discord among the “works of the flesh.” “Flesh” in biblical language means the world corrupted by sin, not redeemed, which rejects the light of Christ. Generally, when we hear “works of the flesh,” we think of sins of sexuality and greed, but the Apostle did not mean it that way: discord, division, and factions are all works of the flesh. Therefore, the lack of harmony is something serious. When there are differing opinions, Christians must find unity by turning their attention to the truth that is Christ; and, if the Spirit is invoked, in the end unity of both purpose and thought is achieved. We too must ask ourselves, then, whether there are divisions in our parish communities, religious groups… whether we have done everything to come together in Christ and safeguard unity. If not, we are still living according to the “flesh.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 4:12-23)
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, on the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations! The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death a light has arisen.” From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. - The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali are the most outlying. Far from Jerusalem, on the northern border with pagan regions, they were more influenced by those peoples than others and were therefore considered less “pure,” religious, and fervent. Nathanael himself is surprised that the Messiah could come from Nazareth, that is, from those regions. But God's choice is not like human choice: he is born in a cave, grows up precisely in the least regarded lands, and humbles himself by becoming poor among the poor. Saint Paul says that this way of acting reveals God's identity, because love is humble and God is love. And were the first people called perhaps valiant soldiers? Young university graduates? No, they were semi-illiterate fishermen. God's choice always follows the same criterion. The poor are those who can rely only on trust in God, because they have neither money nor prestige. It is easier for them to trust God completely, and this is precisely what Jesus needs. Human greatness, then, is entirely interior: it is nobility of spirit and richness of heart. Peter, Andrew, and the others are rich in these virtues. And they become the apostles, those upon whom the Church and the transmission of the faith are founded.