3rd Sunday OT, A January 22, 2023
Fr. Alexander Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
Jesus went around “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…” St. Paul tells us he was called preach the Gospel. Indeed, Jesus every one of us to proclaim the gospel. What does that mean? How do we do that? There’s two things consider: what the Gospel is and whether we let it actually enlighten our lives.
First, what is the gospel? Where do we look to understand the gospel best? There’s this book I’ve just read from. There’s the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There’s a million websites and programs dedicated to knowing the gospel. Where’s the best place to look? All of these help, but notice how the Mass itself leads us to look at the deeper reality behind the books and programs.
Just as Jesus begins his proclamation of the Gospel with, “repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” So, the Mass starts with the penitential act, acknowledging our sins in order to enter into the kingdom. Then comes the Gloria, the singing of praise to God for his goodness, much like the crowds rejoice to see and hear Jesus. Then, just as Jesus often quotes and interprets Scripture in his teaching, the Mass features the reading of scripture and the homily. But the Mass – and the Gospel – doesn’t end with mere education and reflection.
As we see with the first Apostles, Jesus doesn’t just teach them and move on, he calls them to follow him. They sacrifice their livelihood, leaving behind their nets and giving themselves to Jesus and His mission. So we have the offertory, where we give the fruits of our labor in the collection. Even more importantly, we place our time, attention, and very selves upon the altar along with the gifts of bread and wine.
These gifts are then transformed by Holy Spirit as we recall and make present the sacrifice, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This in turn enables us to be united to Jesus and to each other, as we see in the Our Father and the sign of peace. Finally, we receive communion, Jesus Christ himself. Ending with a prayer and still basking in the presence of Christ in us, we are sent back into the world.
So what does all of this tell us? That the Gospel is Jesus Christ. Jesus says the “kingdom of heaven is at hand” because he is at hand. The books, the readings, the prayers… these are only the Gospel inasmuch as they unite us to Jesus. When I say the “Word of God,” most people think of Scripture. They’re not wrong, but the real Word of God is Jesus himself. The tradition of the Church is part of the Word of God because it connects us to Christ. Scripture is the Word of God because it connects us to Jesus Christ.
When we are told to proclaim the Gospel, we aren’t talking about throwing around bible verses and setting up billboards with numbers for call centers. We are talking about Jesus himself. He is the Gospel, the kingdom of heaven, the good news. That’s why the Mass – which makes present the Gospel – culminates in receiving Jesus literally in the Eucharist.
Now, knowing what the Gospel is only helps if we allow it to genuinely enlighten our lives. The first reading tells us that “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” That same passage is quoted in the Gospel precisely when Jesus shows up in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali mentioned in that prophecy. Jesus is the light… but do we see him that way? Does Jesus look like light to us? Or does he look like a burden, a limitation on my fun, an instrument of control by someone I don’t trust? If he doesn’t seem like light to us, it’s no wonder we don’t want to proclaim him and no wonder people don’t respond well when we do. Who would be attracted to yet another burden?
There isn’t some program guaranteed to help us see Christ as we should, as a light in the darkness. It requires honest effort on our part and the unearned grace on the part of God. We have to do the internal work of sorting through our experiences of Jesus and his Church.
Do you maybe resent parents, teachers, or politicians for using religion to control you? Take the time to reflect on that, to pray honestly to God and tell him about it, to invite him to help you see religion as it’s meant to be rather than in the broken way you may have experienced.
Do you hear teachings like “the truth will set you free” or “my burden is light” and think to yourself “yeah right, this Jesus stuff has been nothing but difficulty and restriction?” You need to be able to admit that to yourself and to God. Then, spend time with passages like these and ask for the grace to see what it means, to experience what it promises. Religion is hard… but it’s also liberating if that hardness is met with honest prayer, with faith, hope, and grace.
Have you ever tried to pursue Jesus yourself rather than having him handed to you, or even forced upon you? I’ve seen a lot of people react with amazement when they learn even the most basic truths about our faith, but it’s not because they were dumb or weren’t taught it in catechism class. It’s just because it was the first time they were actually open to that truth… the first time they wanted to learn it. The Catechism in a Year podcast is a great way to learn about the Gospel, to come to know Jesus Christ, not because it’s so clever, but simply because listening to it means making the choice to listen, to spend time with it in a spirit of openness. The catechism has been around for 30 years and the bible for over a thousand, but both of them are only helpful if we actually open them and open ourselves to them. So, make that choice. Give Jesus the chance to shine your life as the light he is.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.” If we really see Jesus himself as the gospel, the good news in our own lives, then we should want to proclaim him. Take the time to hear that news yourself. Let it shine as light in the darkness. Then proclaiming that gospel is fairly simple: you just have share two stories with other people. Sometimes you’ll share them all at once, sometimes a little at a time. Those two stories are the story of Jesus Christ and the story of how you came to know him. Truly, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and that Kingdom is Jesus Christ. See him for who he is, let him shine in your life, then share that light with the world. Lord knows they need it.