THE WORD OF GOD

 III SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 4:12-23

Pope Francis has chosen the third Sunday in ordinary time as the Sunday of the Word of God. For this year, he has given us the following theme: “We proclaim to you what we have seen” (1 Jn 1:3). The encounter with Christ changes our life forever and we feel impelled to speak out, thus giving witness to Jesus Christ. The preaching of the Gospel is not based on dreams; it is the result of a profound experience: “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life” — that’s what “we proclaim”. The celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God makes us aware of our duty to evangelise and of the urgency we feel to give witness to Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of his gospel, John tells us that Jesus is the eternal Word of God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Jn 1:1). Thus, celebrating the Word of God, we are celebrating Jesus Christ. He is the one who reveals to us the hidden mysteries of God: “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” (Jn 1:18 NRSV).

The Holy Scriptures are the privileged medium through which we can hear the voice of Jesus Christ, that is the Word who reveals to us the secrets of God and his loving plan of salvation. The Scriptures take us to Christ, in whom we find salvation: Indeed, the Holy Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tm 3:15-16). Saint Jerome said that “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

**

In this Sunday’s gospel, Matthew presents the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus left home in Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum near the lake, bordering Zebulun and Naphtali. His presence, his actions and his preaching became a light of hope: “The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light”.

“From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’” It was a very simple message that concentrated on the essential: the coming of the Kingdom of God, that is the fulfilment of God’s promise of salvation, and the attitude needed to be accepted in that kingdom, repentance. To accompany Jesus in the establishment of God’s Kingdom, one needs conversion, meaning a new set of values and attitudes. God must become the central point of reference in our lives.

To carry out his project, Jesus looked for followers, collaborators and disciples. He chose the ones he wanted. In the last supper, Jesus would tell his disciples: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you” (Jn 15:16).

Then, Matthew summarises the ministry of Jesus with the following sentence: “He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people.”