THE WORD OF GOD

 III SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10

This Sunday is dedicated to the Word of God. The Word is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God who became flesh and lived among us. As the word, the Son reveals the Father and leads us to Him. He addresses us, calls us by name, and establishes a loving relationship. God speaks to us. His word is a call, and a challenge. We need an open mind and a listening heart to listen to God’s word. The word of God gives understanding and constitutes a guide to our lives. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

In this Sunday of the Word of God, we are invited to celebrate the Word and become aware of the great importance of the word in our lives and in the life of the Church. For this celebration, we are presented with two texts from the Scriptures: the first reading and the gospel.

In exile, the Jews learnt to live without the Temple as the great sign of God’s presence in the middle of his people. Little by little, the reading of the Scriptures in the community took the place of the sacrifices and the synagogue would replace the Temple. When the exiles returned to their homeland, the importance of the community reading of the Scriptures grew in appreciation. The solemn proclamation of the word came to be accepted as the opportunity for the community to hear God speaking to them.

The first reading presents the great assembly organised by Ezra and Nehemiah for the public and solemn reading of God’s word. The occasion is presented as a big feast in which the hearts of all those present were touched by the commandments of the Lord.

With the passing of time, the synagogues could be found everywhere. They were community houses where people gathered to hear the word and worship the Lord. In Nazareth, as in Capernaum as in many other places, there was a synagogue where a liturgy of the word was celebrated every sabbath. Jesus went there as he used to do and was called upon to read a passage from Isaiah. It was a passage about the Messiah, and Jesus understood it as speaking of him. He is the one anointed with the Spirit to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

The Scriptures speak of Christ and lead us to Christ. In them, we hear God calling us and revealing God’s loving heart to us.