Homily for the 3rd Sunday of the Year

25 & 26 January 2025, 3rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Today’s readings call us to reflect on the Presence of God – in history, in the world, and in our lives.

Our first reading from the Book of Nehemiah takes us to a pivotal moment in the history of Israel—the return from the Babylonian exile. To fully grasp the significance of this passage, it is important to understand the historical background of Ezra and his mission.

The Babylonian exile, which lasted from 586 to 538 B.C., was a period of immense suffering and hardship for the people of Israel. In the history of Israel, it is second only to their slavery in Egypt as an experience of suffering. The Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar, had destroyed Jerusalem, including the Temple, the dwelling place of God, and carried many of the Israelites into captivity. This exile was not merely a political or military defeat; it was a spiritual crisis. The people had lost their homeland, their place of worship, and their sense of identity as God’s chosen people. They were not able to worship God according to the Law. They questioned where God was. However, in 538 B.C., the Persian King Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and issued a decree allowing the Jewish people to return to their homeland and rebuild their Temple. This return was a fulfilment of God’s promise through the prophets, reminding them that He had not abandoned them.

Ezra and Nehemiah were the two great figures in this return to the Jerusalem. Ezra, a priest and scribe, played a crucial role in the spiritual restoration of the people. He was deeply devoted to the Law of God and was sent by the Persian king to lead the people in understanding and renewing their covenant with God. The passage we read today describes a powerful moment when Ezra gathers the people in Jerusalem and publicly reads from the Book of the Law. The people, upon hearing God’s Word, respond with reverence, lifting their hands in worship and weeping as they realise how far they had strayed. Ezra, however, encourages them not to mourn but to rejoice, saying, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

This passage reminds us of the power of God’s Word to transform hearts and renew communities. Just as Ezra led the people in rediscovering their identity through the Scriptures, we too are called to centre our lives on God’s Word, allowing it to shape our thoughts, actions, and priorities. More importantly, this event is a testimony to God’s faithfulness—He had promised to restore His people, and now that promise was being fulfilled. The rebuilding of the Temple signified God’s renewed presence among His people, a promise that finds its ultimate fulfilment in Jesus Christ.

In our Gospel reading from Luke, we see Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry. After being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth and proclaims the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Standing in the synagogue, He reads from the scroll of Isaiah, declaring, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor… to proclaim liberty to captives… to set the oppressed free.” With these words, Jesus quite plainly reveals that He is the fulfilment of God’s promises—the one sent to bring salvation and healing to a broken world.

Just as God’s presence dwelled in the rebuilt Temple during Ezra’s time, now God’s presence is fully realised in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the living Temple, the dwelling place of God among us. And today, we continue to experience God’s presence in a profound way through the Eucharist. In the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus remains with us, offering us His strength, His joy, and His grace. The Eucharist is our source of renewal, just as the Law was for the people in Ezra’s time. Whenever we approach the Eucharist with faith, we are reminded that God’s faithfulness endures forever, and that He continues to dwell among us, offering us healing and transformation.

Beyond the Eucharist, Christ is present in multiple ways in our lives. He is present in His Word, which nourishes and guides us daily. He is present in the priest, who stands in persona Christi, bringing the sacraments and teaching us the ways of God. Christ is also present in the gathered assembly of the faithful, the people of God, who are called to be His hands and feet in the world. Recognizing these presences of Christ calls us to a deeper faith and a renewed commitment to living as His disciples as members of the Body of Christ.

We, as members of the Body of Christ, are called to be His presence in the world. St Paul elaborates on this beautifully in the second readings, describing us members of the Body of Christ – each with complimentary purposes, functions and missions, but each vital to the Body. Just as Ezra brought the Word of God to the people of Israel, we are called to bring Christ to others through our daily lives – indeed God’s presence in the world is in His Body, the Church – us.

Yes, this is a supernatural reality. We are, by virtue of our baptism, members of the Body of Christ and take him with us wherever we go. But it is also a reality which calls us to co-operate with this grace. It is a reality which calls us in our daily encounters with the presence of God (in our daily prayer, reading of the Word of God, reception of Him in the Eucharist and our experience of forgiveness in confession) to reflect consciously and actively on how the presence of God is manifest in our daily lives. When I am going about my life in my home, family, marriage, workplace, school, friendships, and in my community, do I seek to imitate Christ’s love and gentleness? When people encounter me, do they experience that loving presence? When people think of me, do the descriptors of the fruits of the Holy Spirit come to mind: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control and modesty? Am I a person who embodies the Beatitudes? Am I someone who loves my enemies and forgives my brother seventy-seven times seven times? These are questions that should guide our daily morning prayer as we commit each day to imitating Christ and co-operating with the grace we have received from Him, and in our daily evening prayer as we examine our consciences and contemplate how we might do better tomorrow.

As we reflect on these readings, let us be inspired by the example of Ezra, who led the people back to God through His Word. Let us embrace the fulfilment of God’s promises in Jesus Christ and recognise His presence in our lives today, especially in the Eucharist, in His Word, in the priest, and in each other, and live in the world knowing that we take Christ with us wherever we go and to whomever we encounter. The joy of the Lord is indeed our strength, and when we turn to Him with open hearts, He renews us and leads us closer to Him. Amen.