Homily for January 24, 2016 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily for January 24, 2016

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Word of God

 

            Our first reading from Nehemiah picks up in the middle of a great story. The Jews had been scattered all over the Middle East because of the Babylonians who conquered them and dragged them off into exile. Even after the exile was officially over, many of the Jews who were servants didn’t have the means to return home, a journey of hundreds of miles. Nehemiah is one of those exiles, far from home, a servant of the King of Persia who misses his homeland. His King grants him the freedom to return home, which he does, but he finds the holy city of Jerusalem in ruins. So, rallying his Jewish compatriots, he rebuilds the Temple and the city.

            When the entire temple was done, they held a ceremony to rededicate it. As part of the ceremony, the High Priest Ezra took the Torah – the first five books of the Bible – and read it aloud to all of the people, as we heard in the first reading. The people were moved with sorrow – they heard about the great things God had done, and they realized how they had failed to live up to the Law of God. But Nehemiah and Ezra tell them not to weep, but to rejoice, for this was a day of God’s mercy! The people of Israel, upon hearing these words, rededicated themselves to following the Lord. Their hearts had been moved and strengthened – because they heard the Word of the Lord.

            Our Gospel also talks about the power of the Word. Luke is explaining why he is writing this Gospel – so that we may have confidence in the truth about Jesus Christ, and so that we might come to believe in Him. It’s through the Word of God that we come to that saving faith.

            With such powerful words in the Bible, how many of you actually read it with any regularity? Almost everyone has a Bible, and almost no one reads it. But think, for a moment – if someone gave you a book that had the secret to living until you’re 100 years old, becoming a millionaire, looking like a movie star, and always having hundreds of friends, wouldn’t you read that book? I’d say that book would be a must-read! Well, most of us own a book about how to live forever, how to have everlasting joy, how to know the God who is madly in love with us: that book the Bible!

            Of course, the Bible isn’t a book – it’s a library. It contains seventy-three books in every genre: history, letters, poetry, wise sayings, parables, and even songs. These are not just ordinary books, however. We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God – in other words, the author of the Bible is ultimately the Holy Spirit, working through human instruments! God used the human authors to communicate His truths about salvation.

            Although the Bible is inspired, we must interpret it within the living tradition of the Church. It can be dangerous when we try to interpret the Scriptures on our own! There’s an old joke about a man who was having a really hard time in his life, so he asked God for a sign about what to do. He opened the Bible at random and his eyes first fell on the sentence, “And Judas hanged himself.” The man thought, ‘Hmm, that wasn’t very hopeful.’ He then opened the Bible again randomly and it read, “And Jesus said, ‘Go, and do likewise.’” Yikes! That’s just a joke, but it makes an important point – We can’t always take everything in the Bible absolutely literally, because God didn’t mean it to be read that way! We need to read the Bible within the living tradition of the Church.

After all, what came first: the Church or the Bible? Actually, it was the Church! The first book of the New Testament to be written (St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians) wasn’t written until 60 AD – thirty years after Jesus’ Resurrection! So, the Church had existed for thirty years by the time the first words of the New Testament were written. Even the final list of the books of the Bible (called the “canon” of Scripture) wasn’t decided upon until 325AD…and it was decided upon by the Church! So we must read the inspired Scriptures sentire cum ecclesia – while thinking with the mind of the Church.

            Now, with that caveat, please go and read the Bible on your own! The book of Hebrews says that “The Word of God is living and effective, sharper than a two-edged sword.” Read – and study – the Word of God! It can change your life. I know a friend who, when trying to make a tough decision, turned to Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper and not harm you, to give you a future full of hope.” Another friend said that she became more active in her church as a teen because of 1 Timothy 4:12 – “Do not let anyone look down upon your youth, but set an example to all believers in faith, love, and purity.”

            I know that a Scripture passage had a huge impact on my own life. When I was a freshman in college seminary, the scandals in the priesthood hit the front pages – and my own faith was shaken badly. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a priest anymore. So I went on a silent retreat one weekend, trying to sort things out. I was just kind of hanging out in the retreat house, not really praying, when out of nowhere a word popped into my head – “Mark 3:13”. I had no idea what verse that was – I mean, that’s not usually a verse you see printed on greeting cards and coffee mugs. So I went to go look it up and it hit me square between the eyes – “And Jesus went up the mountain to pray, and He called to Himself those whom He wanted, and they came to Him.” Okay, vocations crisis over, I guess God really did want me to become a priest.

            So, read the Scriptures! They are a great gift to us. St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” A few months ago an elderly gentleman approached me after Mass here and grumbled, “I’ve been a Catholic all my life, and I ain’t never read the Bible. I ain’t gonna start now.” It’s true – Catholics have a terrible reputation for not reading the Word of God. What a shame! If you don’t know Scripture, you don’t know Jesus. So read the Word – read it daily, drink it in, let it change your heart. After all, “His Word is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path.”

            Did you know that’s from Psalm 119? You will if you read the Bible!