From The Bishop

In the Gospel of the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21) Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah and proclaims that He is the fulfillment of these words. He is the Good News who has come into the world to bring redemption. Jesus proclaims this truth in the synagogue in the midst of worship. This same worship is going on in the First Reading where the priest Ezra is speaking to the people. They are weeping as they hear God’s word. These are tears of joy because they have returned home after exile and can once again worship God in Jerusalem. In the Second Reading, St. Paul reminds us that we are all part of the one body of Christ. All parts are important and needed; in fact, he states, “The members of the body that seem weaker are indispensable.” In our ‘throw away’ society, this statement is significant. If we follow the example of Jesus, and heed the words of St. Paul, then we must care for the weak and vulnerable (from conception to natural death). We will also care for those in need and work toward justice for all. In doing this; however, we cannot forget the importance of worship (First Reading). Each Sunday we come to give praise and worship to our God. We are strengthened by God’s Word and by the reception of His Body and Blood. Then, as members of the mystical body of Christ, we are sent forth to “bring good news to the poor…release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” The spiritual dynamic is ‘to come’ and then ‘to be sent’. One without the other is incomplete and would limit the proclamation of the Good News.