First reading: Is. 8:23 – 9: 3
“First he degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali;
but in the end he has glorified the seaward road, the land west of the Jordan,
the District of the Gentiles.
Anguish has taken wing, dispelled
is darkness: for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown. You have brought them abundant joy and great
rejoicing, as they rejoiced before you as at the harvest, as men make merry
when dividing spoils. For the yoke that
burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you
have smashed, as on the day of Midian.”
Second reading: 1 Cor. 1: 10-13, 17
“I urge you brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be not divisions among
you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. For it has been reported to me about you, my
brothers, by Chole’s people, that there are rivalries among you. I mean that each of you is saying, ‘I belong
to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Kephas,’ or ‘I belong to
Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of
Paul? For Christ did not send me to
baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.”
Gospel reading: Mt. 4: 12-17 (Short form)
“When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to
Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to
live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what
had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun and land of
Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the
people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land
overshadowed by death light has arisen.’
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, ‘repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Introductory theme summary:
The second reading points directly to the failings of
present day homilies, both within and outside Catholicism, to which can also be
attributed the declining numbers of Catholics in attendance at mass as well as
the numbers of those practicing the Catholic faith.
Reflection:
In recent years the Catholic Church in America has seen
declining numbers in attendance at mass, which has given rise to many people
choosing to go to other Christian Churches resulting in fewer Christians
practicing Christianity according to the Catholic faith. Contrary to their common attitude, there is
no truth in faulting any of the principals of Catholicism. The fault lies in the failure to retain the
true meaning of Christ’s cross.
As cited in the second reading, for whatever reason, today’s
homilist is more concerned with impressing the audience with eloquence through an
appeal to contemporary sensibilities. The
result of which has compromised the true principal of Christ’s cross to such an
extent that the “Cross” has become emptied of its meaning as it relates to the true
practice of Christianity; and by that it is meant – not represented at the
pulpit.
There are many reasons for this departure, but only two of
the most significant will be addressed here.
The first of which is due to our society’s obsession with
entertainment. Because we hold
entertainment in such high esteem, it is presumed by both homilist and church
goer that entertaining elements are necessary in order to successfully communicating
God’s word. This couldn’t be more false. What is necessary, and all that is necessary,
but which is absolutely necessary, is
to communicate God’s truth through the Spirit without distracting it by, or
diluting it with, intellectualism and/or emotionalism for – His words were Spirit and Truth. The next most significant reason is the
general public’s desire for seeking personal fulfillment in this life. The Cross of Christ guides us directly
against the common understanding for personal fulfillment. It admonishes us to repentance and
purification from our sinfulness, while demanding complete self-denial. This self-denial is an absolute necessity due
to the reality of our fallen state.
Seeking personal fulfillment according to the perceptions of our fallen state
commonly shared by all is the exact opposite to abiding by the cross of Christ. If one is not carrying his/her cross, he/she
is not following Christ for; “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt.
16:24) And, if one is not following
Christ according to Christ’s command, how Christian could that person actually
be?
Carrying our cross according to the traditional teachings of
the Catholic Church is the only way for us to truly see the light referenced in
both the gospel and the first reading. That
light liberates us from the confinements of our temporal necessities. Then, and only then, can we realize the
freedom of the children of God, and shine our light before all the worldly.[1]
Come, let us deny the self and carry our cross as our Lord
commanded his followers to do, so that we too can join the apostles as true
children of God.
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