A Light Has Shone in the Land of Gloom: Reflections on the Readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

If you haven’t already read the readings, you can find them here.

Isaiah 8:23-9:3
Psalm 27
1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17
Matthew 4:12-23

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Today’s world seems often to be a world in darkness. Life, family, and God are all suppressed and Christians are persecuted. Nevertheless, we have a light that will lead us out of the darkness, the light of the Lord. And as that light called the apostles, it calls to us today.

Today’s reading from Matthew’s gospel notes that after the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus went to Galilee of the Gentiles and quotes part of today’s passage from Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” We see a similar theme in the gospel of St. John, “... the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Both Isaiah and Matthew talk about Zebulun and Naphtali, which is where the Assyrians attacked the Israelites and signaled the beginning of the end of the Davidic kingdom, where its unity begins to be lost. Scott Hahn’s reflection for this week notes: “Isaiah prophesied that Zebulun and Naphtali, the lands first to be degraded, would be the first to see the light of God’s salvation.” Isaiah tells us light dispels gloom. This is a message for all time. There is a lot of gloom in the world today. Religious freedom, especially for Christians, is under attack, the Culture of Death seems to keep getting stronger, and the very basics of life and family are denied. And yet Isaiah tells us what seems to be the obvious. Light brings joy and great rejoicing. Light is a sign of hope. Hope brings joy. “Joy isn’t found in the material objects surrounding us, but in the inner recesses of the soul. One can possess joy in a prison cell as well as a palace.” (St. Therese of Liseux)

The conditions of today, alluded to by Isaiah, are further explained by John’s gospel, “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.” (John 3:19) Think of the contortions people go through to justify their lives of darkness as they try to pull others into the shadows.

The responsorial psalm further elaborates this message. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?” However, the psalmist tells us, this will involve waiting and courage. In a world that seeks instant gratification, this requires some determination on our part. The reward for waiting will be that we “may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple.” Revelation tells us that this will be the New Jerusalem: “I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

In the second reading, St. Paul calls for unity in the Church. The core of his message is that, despite the various teachers and those passing on the Word of God, the focus of all should be on Jesus Himself. Those other followers did not die for us as Jesus did and division amongst them detracts from the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. As C.S. Lewis noted, “…[T]he Church exists for nothing else but to draw man into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy missions, sermons, even the Bible itself are simply a waste of time.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)

Paul notes that Christ was not divided. He did not establish multiple churches. Therefore, he says, let “there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.” How do these divisions occur? They happen when each of those individual “leaders” interprets the faith on their own and not in conjunction with the Church as a whole. Jesus pointed to the Church as a resource when conflicts occur (Matthew 18:17) and Peter warned against private interpretation, “Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation ...” (1 Peter 1:20)

Even Jesus told His followers that He did not speak on His own authority but on the authority of the Father. “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.” (John 14:10) In this regard, the Church exercises its authority from Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20, John 14:26) through the Magisterium which has interpreted (not edited) God’s word for two millennia. And here Paul, too, notes that his primary purpose is to preach Jesus and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23).

The gospel excerpt from St. Matthew announces Jesus’ entry into His public ministry. His opening message is the same as that of John the Baptist and one which He reiterates throughout His ministry, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In this way He announces Himself as the light that has arisen “in a land overshadowed by death.”

The passage ends with Jesus’ calling His first apostles at the Sea of Galilee, the area mentioned by Isaiah in the first reading. Thus we have another example of the Old Testament being fulfilled in the New and another prophecy completed by Jesus. Jesus is bringing His light to where the darkness began for the Israelites. As Dr. Kreeft notes, “There are literally hundreds of specific prophecies in the Old Testament of the Messiah, the “anointed one” or the “promised one,” and Jesus fulfilled every one of them in every detail.” (Kreeft, Food for the Soul, Cycle A)

The call of the first disciples is approached differently by the different gospel authors. However, the different authors had different perspectives and different audiences which accounts for some of the differences. Again Dr. Kreeft tells us: “The four Gospels are quite different in what they emphasize, and they are written to different audiences – Mathew especially to Jews, Mark to Romans, Luke to Greeks, and John to the whole world – and they are written by four men with quite different personalities.” (Food for the Soul, Cycle A)

Authors use stories to make their points and sometimes alter sequences to make them fit a particular message. This is one of the strengths of the popular series, The Chosen. It bases its message on the gospels but at times “fills in the gaps” or alters sequences (or follows one gospel author over another) in order to tell the story of Jesus and His disciples. It does not, however, alter the basic message.

But one thing we should take from the various readings selected by the Church is that the message is always centered on Christ. And this is one of the strengths and truths of the Catholic Church; it is not focused on a particular pastor or preacher, but everything becomes focused on Jesus. As our deacon said once in a homily, “Your life only makes sense in the light of the Lord.”