3rd Sunday In Ordinary Time
24 January 2010
First reading Nehemiah 8:2-6,8-10
Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the first day of the seventh month. On the square before the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose. In full view of all the people – since he stood higher than all the people – Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’; then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord. And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read.
Then Nehemiah – His Excellency – and Ezra, priest and scribe and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all the people, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.
He then said, ‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.’
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 18:8-10,15
Second reading 1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.
Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. If the foot were to say, ‘I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body’, would that mean that it stopped being part of the body? If the ear were to say, ‘I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body’, would that mean that it was not a part of the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything?
Instead of that, God put all the separate parts into the body on purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you’, nor can the head say to the feet, ‘I do not need you.’
What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the indispensable ones; and it is the least honourable parts of the body that we clothe with the greatest care. So our more improper parts get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it, and that there may not be disagreements inside the body, but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honour, all parts enjoy it.
Now you together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them?
Gospel Luke 1:1-4,4:14-21
Seeing that many others have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have taken place among us, exactly as these were handed down to us by those who from the outset were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, I in my turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an ordered account for you, Theophilus, so that your Excellency may learn how well founded the teaching is that you have received.
Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him.
He came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives
and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’
Reflection
By Gharri Tulabut
I used to envy my siblings’ natural musical talent. Six of my seven sibs were all members of our parish choir at different point in time (depending on which generation they belong :) ). One of my sisters used to be a mainstay of amateur singing contests and she never went home empty handed after each contest. Currently she sidelines as a wedding singer. One brother is a choir master in our parish and in the schools where he teaches and he’s also the conductor of rondalla groups in at least two schools. I can name at least ten instruments which he can play. Our eldest brother once made guitars and amplifiers as a hobby.
Me? Well, I can sing pretty well in front of a karaoke machine. A friend even nicknamed me as ‘birit’ king once (ehem!). I am very good with performing duets as long as I do the melody :). I usually become tone deaf when blending of voices come in. And, thanks to Jingle magazine, I can now read some chords and strum some of my favorite rock songs with the guitar. Oh, I also joined the choir in our parish once but the project was discontinued as if telling me that I was really meant to be an altar boy :).
Whatever our role in Church is – a member of the choir, an altar boy, a lector, etc. – it is always important not only in the eyes of men and women but in the eyes of God. Yes, no matter how small the service is, for we are all members of the body of Christ which is the Church. The important thing is using our God-given talent to serve Him. Just like the different body parts which perform individual tasks to contribute to the activities of the body as a whole, so must we also perform individual tasks based on our talents to contribute to the overall activities of the Church. If you have a good voice, then join the choir. If you are good looking like me, be an altar boy J (I know you know I’m just kidding).
By the way, I am always proud to be a member of the Knights of the Blessed Sacrament (that’s what we call altar boys back then). I carry that honor of being a Knight wherever I go. Sometimes I even volunteer to serve in our company’s first Friday Mass. Oh, and that longing I had to sing and play music for the Lord, I fulfilled that through small group prayer meetings and sometimes also in company Eucharistic celebrations. And the feeling whenever I sing and play music for the Lord or do Knight tasks again? Ecstatic!
But, lately, I haven’t been using my talents to serve the Lord. Yes, writing here is one way to serve and I love it! But I miss being in the sacristy preparing things for the mass. I miss being able to memorize the priest’s punch lines in his homilies because it’s the 3rd time for the day I was hearing his sermon after serving two previous Masses. I miss being at the backstage and not just being a mere spectator.
That’s why this year, I have decided that I will serve again, maybe not in my parish but in a charismatic community as I don’t have a permanent parish beacuse I am a nomad. This year, I am proclaiming a year in service acceptable to the Lord!
Father, We thank You for gifting us with natural talents. May we be able to use them in serving Your Body here on earth. Amen!
Love Never Fails
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