Homily for 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A 2020
Isaiah 8:23-9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23
Introduction
As was announced at the beginning of Mass, Pope Francs has designated the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time to be the Word of God Sunday. Why a Sunday dedicated to the Word of God, you might ask?
I am reminded of a story about a priest visiting a Catholic family – in a parish far, far away. And while visiting the family posed a question to him. He then asked for their family Bible so that he could refer them to a passage that would answer their question. When they handed him the big old bible, on opening it, some reading glasses fell out. That is when the dad blurted out: "I have been looking for those glasses for more than a year now."
Stories like this remind us that compared to our Protestant brethren, we Catholics need to do a little more reading of the Bible. In today's homily I would like to reflect on three questions regarding the unique way Catholics receive the Word of God: What is the Bible? How do we read the Bible? Why read the Bible?
Scripture and Theology
What is the Bible? The Bible is the written Word of God, in which using human authors and human words God has spoken to us. There are many writings that have claimed to be the Word of God, works like the gospel of Thomas. But by the authority granted to the apostles by Jesus Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Church has declared only some of them to be part of the canon of the Bible. That is why unlike the Protestant Bible the Catholic Bible has 73 books, 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The reason for the difference in number is because they only accept as Old Testament Books those which are based on the Hebrew rather than Greek text and so exclude seven books: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees.
Moreover, it is important to have the right translation of the Bible. Anybody who knows more than one language knows that translation is a difficult task. For example when you attempt to translate the Spanish word "simpatico" into English you end up with approximations only rather than translations of that word. And so, while there are numerous translations of the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew, not all are reliable. That is why it is recommended for Catholics to look for "Catholic Bibles" whose translations have been made with the help of scholars and have been approved by the Bishops. Even they will still struggle to translate certain words and phrases, after all (surprise, surprise) Jesus did not speak English; but at least they will not have errors of doctrine.
Secondly, besides having our own Catholic Bible, Catholics read the Bible in a unique way. We read the Bible as a unity, a unity that takes three main forms.
First, "Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover" (CCC 112). For in the Bible we have all kinds of writings: poems and prose, historical and mythical writings, letters and essays, prophecies and parables. But they all have one message, the saving plan of God in Jesus Christ. Some might be tempted to write off the Old Testament as being outdate. But they would be forgetting that the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ who brings it to fulfillment in the New Testament. Moreover, do you notice how often Jesus himself makes reference to the Old Testament? His mama must have taught him the Bible very well and so must we. Even passages that seem to contradict each other, such as the passages that call for violence vis-a-vis those that speak against it, must be read within the lens of God's plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. The Bible is not a science textbook, not a history textbook, not a political manifesto; the Bible is a story of God's love.
The second kind of unity within which we must read the Bible is the "Living Tradition of the whole Church" (CCC 113). Since it is the same Spirit that inspired the authors of the Bible that also inspires the Church, we must read the Bible with the mind of the Church. We are not lone rangers when we read the Bible. We do not read to find personal messages there. We understand the Bible in union with those who have come before us and in union with those who teach us today. That is why the Church's Tradition, that is, its interpretation of Scripture is just as important as the Scripture itself. To put it bluntly, the Catholic reads his Bible as well as his Catechism. The Catechism helps him understand how other Catholics from the very beginning have understood the Bible. For if the verses of the Bible are like the ingredients of a meal in the pantry, the Catechism is what puts them together into a wonderful sumptuous meal for us.
Marcus Grodi, a former Presbyterian pastor, hosts a TV program on EWTN called the journey home. His story perhaps explains best how Catholics read the Bible within the Tradition and under the authority of the Church. He says:
Every Sunday I would stand in my pulpit and interpret Scripture for my flock, knowing that within a fifteen mile radius of my church there were dozens of other Protestant pastors, all of whom believed that the Bible alone is the sole authority for doctrine and practice, but each was teaching something different from what I was teaching. ‘Is my interpretation of Scripture the right one or not?' I'd wonder. ‘Maybe one of those other pastors is right, and I'm misleading these people who trust me.'
Marcus had no Tradition going back 2000 years, no oversight over him to help resolve his doubts. He could find no peace of heart, until he joined the Catholic Church, the one Jesus has equipped with a hierarchy and a Tradition, and promised the conferral of the HolySpirit through which Sacred Scripture is interpreted.
The third unity within which we read the Bible is the unity with the Eucharist. That is why we speak of being fed at the Mass as at two tables: the table of the Word and the table of the altar, which are intimately linked.
A recent survey of sermons by the Pew Research Center revealed that while the average length of sermons in Christian Churches was 37 minutes, historically Protestant Black Churches had the longest sermons at 54 minutes and Catholic sermons were the shortest at 14 minutes. That means I have another ten minutes to go. I think the reason that Catholic sermons or more properly homilies are shorter is this: the Table of the Word is only half of the Mass, preparing us for the second Table, the Eucharist. What we receive at these two tables is essentially one: God's Work of salvation in Jesus Christ. The difference is that at the Table of the Word, we hear about the Work of salvation, but at the table of the Altar, we receive Jesus himself who has brought about our salvation.
Moreover, the very words we say throughout the Mass come from Scripture. And in the three-year cycle of Sunday readings and the two-year cycle of weekday readings, we hear about 90% of the gospels, 55% of the rest of the New Testament and 14% of the Old Testament, not counting the Psalms.
Of course our reading Scripture only begins and does not end at Mass, continuing in our daily lives. For as St. Jerome says, ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. Let me offer a couple of practical ways to do this.
- Have you tried reading the whole bible from beginning to finish, perhaps taking one passage at a time? I hear you asking: how long would that take? And here is my answer: how long is your life here on earth?
- But perhaps a more practical way in keeping with Catholic practice is to study the Bible with others, and with the help of those who have some expertise in the area. My former colleague Dr. Brant Pitre and Bishop Robert Barron provide many wonderful resources for such initiatives. Have you considered Bible Study?
- But even picking up a booklet or app on your phone, that gives you a daily Scripture reading for meditation is one way to hear the Word of God.
Conclusion
In conclusion: why should we read the Bible? Listen to St. Paul writing to his protégé Timothy: "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). In other words, our lives as Christians are guided by Scripture.
For example, we have observed, during this past week two days that shine the light upon two different, but equally important aspects of our faith.
- On Monday, as we remembered the life of Martin Luther King, we were reminded of the biblical themes of freedom, peace and justice.
- On Wednesday, the anniversary of the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision, we were reminded of the biblical injunction to preserve life, especially the life of the unborn.
Why are the subjects of racism and abortion important to us? Because, although the Bible might not contain these two words, it certainly addresses these vices.
Also, we cannot forget the injunction of the Letter to the Hebrews which says:
Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart (Heb. 4:12).
Nor can we forget God's own words through the mouth of Isaiah:
So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11).
May God’s Word be the force that convicts and moves us to action. And may all we do find its beginning and end in God’s Word.
