3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Two men are presented to us today reading to the gathered assembly.
Ezra stands before the assembly and reads the whole of the law following their return after the Babylonian captivity. And they weep. Perhaps because it was too long, perhaps it was because of their shame for their infidelity that led to the captivity. Or perhaps because they realized the mercy and goodness of God, not abandoning His people. They realize they now have a mission of fidelity!
Four centuries later, Jesus stands before the Assembly reading from the Sacred Word. He chooses the passage from Isaiah. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. He tells them this passage is fulfilled in him. Some have called this his mission statement. This is who He is and what He has been called to do!
Twenty-one centuries later, we listen to the Word being read in our assembly and are reminded that we have been given the Spirit through baptism. We are now part of Christ’s body. We, too, have been given a mission.
What would we say as a community if we were asked to stand and proclaim our mission statement? Does our personal mission statement reflect Christ’s? Are we committed to bringing glad tidings to the poor, oppressed, and imprisoned in this Jubilee Year of Pilgrims of Hope? How am I challenged to bring recovery of sight to those blinded by greed and indifference as our earth is being destroyed?
What do I need to do to be faithful to the mission I have been given?
Let us pray:
Lord, we thank you for the gift of Your body and blood in the Eucharist. May we be strengthened through this gift to deepen our relationship with one another as members of one Body. And may we enable one another to be faithful to the mission You have given us. Amen.
