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Dear Preachers:
The Christmas season has ended, yet we are still very much in “epiphany mode.” Today is called the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, the beginning of what the Church names “Ordinary Time.” We will count thirty-three Sundays in Ordinary Time until November 15. The title given to these weeks can be a bit misleading. This time is not “ordinary” in the everyday sense of the word. Rather, it is a season for the ongoing revealing of who Jesus is and why he has come. To repeat: we are still in “epiphany mode.”
In Isaiah 49, the Servant is chosen from the womb, named by God, and given a twofold mission: to restore Israel and to be “a light to the nations,” so that God’s salvation may reach “to the ends of the earth.” This reading helps us see beyond Bethlehem, which features so prominently during the Christmas season. The child revealed to us at Christmas is now shown to be the One sent to the whole world: “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
During these early weeks of Ordinary Time, this universal horizon is emphasized. Isaiah proclaims it poetically, and John’s Gospel illuminates that same message, interpreting Isaiah’s vision for us through the person of Jesus.
John the Baptist points out Jesus – but he does more than point. He interprets Jesus for us. He identifies him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John testifies that he saw the Spirit descend and remain on Jesus and declares him to be the Son of God. In John’s Gospel, Isaiah’s Servant is revealed as both the Lamb who bears sin and the Spirit-filled Son who reveals the Father. What Isaiah announces in poetry, John proclaims explicitly: “He is the Son of God.”
The Baptist’s role is to point away from himself. Isaiah reminds Israel – and us – that being chosen by God always involves being sent for others. “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” This Sunday, then, prepares us for mission: first, to recognize who Jesus is, and then to bear his light to the world.
We probably know people who have fulfilled, at least in part, this servant role described in Isaiah 49. One person who came close to embodying it was Dorothy Day. Like the servant depicted in Isaiah, she did not seek prominence. Her words and actions pointed to God rather than ideas, and she lived for the sake of others, especially the least and the forgotten. Dorothy Day offered a distinctly poetic witness to the modern world.
She understood her work not as a career, but as a vocation. Though she was a convert, her conversion to Catholicism did not narrow her vision; it clarified her mission. Like Isaiah’s Servant, whose call extended beyond Israel “to the nations,” Dorothy’s witness reached far beyond the boundaries of the Church. Her moral authority was recognized by atheists, labor organizers, the poor, and believers alike.
People of moral authority like Dorothy Day make ancient prophets such as Isaiah and Christian prophets like John the Baptist, strikingly contemporary for us. Through them, God continues to speak in our “Ordinary Time,” calling us to en-flesh the Word of God through our words and actions. We are not to call attention to ourselves, but to Christ present in our midst, especially among the suffering of the world. As Dorothy once said, “We cannot love God unless we love each other,” and “The Gospel takes away our right forever to discriminate between the deserving and the undeserving poor.”
Dorothy lived this conviction concretely, insisting that Christ is revealed precisely where the world is least inclined to look. That is the sign of true discipleship; not dramatic gestures, but constant, uncompromising fidelity which makes God’s mercy visible to all.
Dorothy teaches us that God’s light is meant for all nations. John the Baptist pointed to Christ without claiming rank or privilege for himself. To be a servant of God is not to seek recognition, but to make God’s mercy available.
In our parishes, there are those who serve quietly by visiting, advocating for, or accompanying those in need. When we do this, we may not be solving problems, but we are revealing Christ already present among us – especially among the least.
It may be Ordinary Time, but there is nothing ordinary about people in our faith communities who offer a steady, quiet witness. Like John the Baptist, they help others recognize the Lamb of God already in our midst.
Finally, Paul’s words from First Corinthians today may seem modest, little more than a greeting. But they too belong to our Sunday proclamation. Isaiah speaks of God’s Servant; the Gospel reveals Christ’s identity; and Paul reminds us who receives this revelation: “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy.”
A real community – like the one in Corinth – imperfect, divided, and deeply human, shows us how God’s saving word continues to take flesh among us each day. We do not seek holiness by withdrawing from the world, but, as Isaiah calls us, by being a faithful presence within it.
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011826.cfm
“God is closer to us than we are to ourselves.” — Augustine of Hippo
I announced your justice in the vast assembly —Psalm 40:10
Last Fall, Pope Leo offered a reflection about migrants and refugees reminding Catholics that we are all called to always be missionaries of hope. Here are some excerpts:
The current global context is sadly marked by wars, violence, injustice and extreme weather events, which force millions of people to leave their homelands in search of refuge elsewhere. The widespread tendency to look after the interests of limited communities poses a serious threat to the sharing of responsibility, multilateral cooperation, the pursuit of the common good and global solidarity for the benefit of our entire human family. The prospect of a renewed arms race and the development of new armaments, including nuclear weapons, the lack of consideration for the harmful effects of the ongoing climate crisis, and the impact of profound economic inequalities make the challenges of the present and the future increasingly demanding.
Faced with frightening scenarios and the possibility of global devastation, it is important that there be a growing desire in people’s hearts for a future of peace and of respect for the dignity of all. Such a future is essential to God’s plan for humanity and the rest of creation.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man and woman; it takes up the hopes that inspire human activities” (N. 1818). What is more, the search for happiness, and the prospect of finding it beyond one’s place of origin, is certainly one of the main motivations for the movement of people today. In a special way, Catholic migrants and refugees can become missionaries of hope in the countries that welcome them, forging new paths of faith where the message of Jesus Christ has not yet arrived or initiating interreligious dialogue based on everyday life and the search for common values. . .At the same time, the communities that welcome them can also be a living witness to hope, one that is understood as the promise of a present and a future where the dignity of all as children of God is recognized. In this way, migrants and refugees are recognized as brothers and sisters, part of a family in which they can express their talents and participate fully in community life. Message of the Holy Father for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2025 Are you a missionary of hope toward migrants and refugees?
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC
Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home. From today’s Gospel reading:
“John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and
said,
Reflection:
By calling Jesus “the Lamb of God,” John evokes the Passover lamb and the suffering servant – images of sacrifice, deliverance, and mercy. Jesus comes toward us not in judgment, but bearing the weight of the world’s brokenness, willing to take upon himself the sin that alienates humanity from God. In this moment, faith begins by looking, by recognizing who Jesus is and trusting what he comes to do for us.
So, we ask ourselves:
POSTCARDS TO DEATH-ROW INMATES
“One has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out.” ---Pope Francis
Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.
Please write to: Tillman Freeman #0849836 (On death row since 4/19/2022) Joshua Burgess #0949797 (6/3/2022) James McKamey #1506090 (1/26/2023) --Central Prison P.O. 247 Phoenix, MD 21131 Please note: Central Prison is in Raleigh, NC., but for security purposes, mail to inmates is processed through a clearing house at the above address in Maryland.
For more information on the Catholic position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing Network: http://catholicsmobilizing.org
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