Martin Jumbam
The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, January 15, 2017, as the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time in the Church’s Year A. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “May all the earth give you worship and praise, and break into song to your name, O God, Most High. Amen.”
The main theme of this day’s Mass is Christ, the Lamb of God who provides a light for all the nations. In the first reading, from the prophecy of Isaiah, the Suffering Servant tells us that God’s spirit has been given him from his mother’s womb. In the Second reading, from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul calls for Christian unity, an appropriate appeal that comes as we pray for Christian unity, that all who recognize Christ as Saviour may become one as Christ is one with his Father. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary year of the beginnings of Martin Luther’s Reformation, the theme of this year’s prayer for Christian unity is "Reconciliation – The Love of Christ Compels Us" (2 Corinthians 5:14-20). As we recall our Lord’s baptism in John’s Gospel, we pray that his spirit may deepen our awareness of the purpose and value of our lives and of all human life from conception to natural death.
First Reading: Isaiah 49:3. 5-6.
The Lord said to me: “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified. And now the Lord says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, for I am honoured in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength – he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
V/ The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.
Comment
Chapter 49, from where our reading comes, marks the start of the second section of Isaiah. The first part (chapters 40-48) deals with the release of the Jews from exile in Babylon on the orders of the Lord, the ruler of the world and of all nations. This section speaks of the restoration of Zion and the renewal of the people. It is taken from the Songs of the Suffering Servant of God in which we meet the Suffering Servant for the first time and are told of his mission, which is to liberate the exiles.
The Servant addresses the “coastlands” and “peoples from afar,” conscious of having been chosen by God from his mother’s womb, like Jeremiah (Jer 1:5), to carry out God’s plans of salvation even in those distant parts of the world.
First, he is to play a leading role in the recovery of the tribes and the repatriation of the exiles. Second, he will extend salvation to the ends of the earth. He presents himself as a prophet whose word carries God’s own power. He recounts what God addresses to him. The gift of God’s spirit has been given him from his mother’s womb. Through him God renews his covenant with Israel, and by his obedience to God and solidarity with his people he can bring about conversion and salvation for both Israel and the nations. His work will be the restoration of Israel; he will call on her to turn back from the ways which caused her to be punished by being taken into exile.
From the beginning Christians applied the songs of the servant to Jesus and saw them as finding fulfillment in his life. The old Simeon applies the expression ‘light to the nations’ to Jesus when he receives the child Jesus in the temple (Lk 2:23).
What is the prophet Isaiah telling me in this passage? This final part of the prophecy of Isaiah comes mainly from the period following the return from the Babylonian exile. The task of restoration is slow and difficult, and the majority of the people are living in poverty and are being exploited by those who are well off. This is a familiar scene in our country today where those who have managed to enrich themselves exploit the poor and the weak through corruption and social injustice. The prophet’s message to the returning exiles is therefore relevant to the poor and the weak of Africa today. He urges them, as he urged the returning exiles, not to lose hope but to strive for a better future through a personal moral and spiritual rebirth. They should therefore not only yearn for material prosperity but strive for spiritual renewal as well.
Let us pray with Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India, “Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow human beings throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands this day their daily bread and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one god forever and ever. Amen.”
Second Reading: First Corinthians 1:1-3.
Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, to the Church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
V/ The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.
Comment
Corinth was one of the most important commercial cities in the Roman Empire in Paul's time. Like Douala, it was a city with many different religions and with temples dedicated to all sorts of gods, and was notorious for its low level of morality. In fact, Corinth became synonymous with immorality.
That was the city Saint Paul preached the Christian message to, and God’s help enabled him to found a flourishing Christian community. From Acts of the Apostles (18:1-18), we know that Paul founded the Church of Corinth with the help of Silas and Timothy during his second missionary journey. He spent more than a year and a half preaching in that city. He began by preaching in the synagogue to Jews and Greeks alike but because of the opposition he received from the Jews, he decided to concentrate on preaching to the Gentiles only.
Even though his mission was a success, Paul still faced considerable problems in Corinth. There were various parties in dispute, with Christians even bringing cases against each other before pagan courts, and there was a general laxity in church worship. The purpose of this letter, therefore is to correct such errors among his converts. Paul warns that divisions among Christians are divisions in the one body of Christ.
Paul begins his letter with a greeting, which carries the writer’s name, information on the people he is addressing and an act of thanksgiving to God. He attaches to his name three features which identify him – his divine calling, his office as an apostle of Jesus Christ, and the will of God, the source of his apostolic vocation. He calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ from whom he receives the authority to praise, teach, admonish and correct orally and in writing. He is so dedicated to his mission that he has no other purpose than to pursue it; his life is dedicated entirely to this end; all his thoughts, words and actions are aimed at achieving it.
Saint Paul teaches the need to give thanks to God and he sets the example in this regard. He tells his Christians of Corinth that God and our Saviour Jesus Christ have invited them to take their places in the new Israel. They too are destined to receive the grace brought through the risen Christ. God’s grace and peace are his greatest blessings imparted through the resurrection; they should assure Christian unity without difference, division or faction.
Let us too pray this week for the unity of all Christians so that peace and harmony may reign in our families and in our dear country, Cameroon. “Father, may we learn to be tolerant and understanding of each other; may we learn to cooperate rather than to compete, to forgive rather than to condemn, to be open to share in the divine that you have implanted in each of your sons and daughters. May we forge a bond of love that will make the brotherhood in which we profess to believe a living reality? We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.”
Gospel: John 1: 29-34.
At that time, John saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me .’ I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven and remain on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
V/ The Gospel of the Lord.
R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
Comment
As mentioned in the introduction to this day’s Eucharist, the prayer for Christian unity, from January 18 through 25, comes this year on the occasion of the 500th anniversary year of the beginnings of Martin Luther’s Reformation. It is a period when Christians around the world dedicate an entire week during the month to pray for unity among the followers of Jesus and especially to overcome historical and present divisions that exist between church communities. The theme for the week is inspired by St. Paul's reminder that "Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."(cf. 2 Corinthians 5:14-20). For 2017, it should be noted that this biblical text emphasizes that reconciliation is a gift from God, intended for the entire creation. “God was reconciling the world (kosmos) to God’s self in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (v.19). As a result of God´s action, those who have been reconciled in Christ are called in turn to proclaim this reconciliation in word and deed: “The love of Christ compels us.”
Christians bear witness to God’s mighty acts in a variety of ways: by healing wounds of division, by searching for truth and unity, and through common social and charitable projects that uphold human dignity. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a privileged moment for prayer, encounter and dialogue. It is an opportunity to recognize the richness and value that are present in the other, the different, and to ask God for the gift of unity.
In the Gospel of this day, we can meditate on a number of themes that all touch on unity. We can examine the theme of Christ as the light of the nations, the light that shines on all humanity, rich or poor, black or white, male or female. We can also focus on our baptism as seen through Christ’s own baptism by John. I, however, want to reflect on the theme of forgiveness, there can be no Christian unity without forgiveness.
John, on seeing Jesus coming towards him, says “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” The sins of the world means all sorts of sins: original sin, which, because of Adams’ fault, all our descendants now have. Our hope of salvation is Jesus Christ. He is himself a strong call to hope because he came to forgive and to cure us of the wounds of sin.
Jesus has come to bring forgiveness. He is the Redeemer, the Reconciler. He forgives us and gives us a new birth as he opens the gates of his grace and mercy to us, irrespective of our religious convictions. We are all sinners and Christ constantly reaches out to us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation through which we receive the graces we need to overcome further temptations that lead us to sin.
Jesus continues to call us to holiness and gives us the graces we need for our sanctification. Such holiness comes about through our constant purification of our soul through the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation. That is how we receive Jesus into our lives. That is how we learn to live with him always; hence the need for frequent confession. Christ has come to cleanse us of our sins.
The Gospel of this day, therefore, challenges us to come closer to Jesus and to recognize him as John the Baptist does, that is, the Lamb of God who takes away all our sins. No matter how great our sins may be, Christ is always there to rid us of them. He is always reaching out for sinners. The Son of Man has come to save what was lost (Matt 18:11). He seeks out the company of tax collectors and publicans. He forgives the woman caught in adultery with the simple words “go and sin no more.”
As we pray for Christian unity, let us learn to forgive each other’s trespasses as the Lord forgive us ours. When we forgive, we heal the wounds of division. With others, who may not necessarily share our Christian beliefs, let us search for truth and unity, and through common social and charitable projects uphold human dignity. Let us pray to the Lord to teach us to forgive even those who do not care for us. “Show us, Lord, the way of love! Make that our weaknesses should lead us to you more and more! May your grace move us to contrition whenever we stumble! May we be large in thought, in word, and in deed! May we put away all pretence and meet each other face to face, without self-pity and without prejudice. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.”
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