3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Deacon José  |  01/26/2025  |  From the Clergy

Reflecting on the first reading from the Book of Nehemiah, we can see how this community, about 450 years before Christ, gathered to listen the Word of God: the book was brought before the community, which consisted of men, women, and children, it was opened before everyone from a high place, every one stood up, it was proclaimed from a wooden platform, they all responded “Amen, Amen”, and there was an interpretation of what was read.

Does that look like our Liturgy of the Word? The Book of the Gospels enters in procession, people stand up and sings Alleluia while the book is moved in procession to the Ambo, after announcing the reading the people responds “Glory to you O Lord”, at the end of the proclamation the people responds “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ”, then a homily explains what we just read.

We are a community. As members of one body, we need each other.  Each part of the body is essential for the wellbeing of the whole body. Not a single part of the body can live without the rest of the body.  

We are created as a community.  We cannot survive in our faith by ourselves, we are fed and nourished by being part of the community of faith.

Let us acknowledge all parts of the Body of Christ, lets us rejoice when one of them is honored, and let us suffer when one them suffers.

Deacon José