God’s Word enriches our lives and guides our paths
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C/Sunday of the Word of God, Church of the Assumption, Asokoro, Abuja. Homily by Archbishop I. A. Kaigama, 26.01.2025
Readings: Nehemiah 8:2-4a.5-6.8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21
Theme: God’s Word enriches our lives and guides our paths
Today, as we gather in the Church of Assumption, Asokoro, to celebrate the Eucharist, and confirm some of your parishioners, 56 of them, we also celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God. In our Archdiocese, we equally celebrate the Holy Childhood Association. This association enables children to participate in the Church’s mission work by helping other children worldwide suffering from hunger, war, and natural disasters. It is a special day for prayer and support for needy children worldwide.
Today, we also end the week of prayer for Christian unity in the FCT. It is as if Paul is addressing Christians in the FCT in the second reading today, through his letter to the Corinthians. Paul encourages us to remain united and to work together as one body of Christ. To achieve this, everyone must be considered important. There must be understanding, truthfulness, and respect for one another.
Celebrating the Sunday of the Word of God, we are drawn to the consciousness of the central place of the Word of God in our lives and the need to enthrone it in our homes and lives and allow it to guide our steps and be a lamp for our paths. The psalmist today, echoes this sentiment, proclaiming the beauty and goodness found in God’s word. It is described as perfect, refreshing the soul, giving wisdom to the simple, rejoicing the heart, and enlightening the eyes. As individuals, families, and parishes, we are called on this day, to re-enkindle our commitment to the Word of God.
Jesus began His public ministry by preaching the message of repentance and called His first four disciples to share in His ministry. He chose simple persons who would give their entire selves to His service. Christ needs our availability today, to be witnesses and to spread His light. Some go on mission by travelling, some go by giving, and some go by praying.
In the first reading, we witness the scene where Ezra the priest reads from the book of the law to the people. As the Word of God is proclaimed, the people respond with awe and reverence. They recognize that God speaks to them through his Word, offering them guidance, wisdom, and hope. St. John gives us the kind of response required of us, he says: “Your words, O Lord, are spirit and life” (John 6:63). Every day we hear the Word of God in various forms. They are not meant to entertain us, rather, they are to challenge us to positive response and action. Before we can speak of God and with God, we must listen to Him, and the liturgy of the Church is the “school” of this listening to the Lord who speaks to us.
This word of God should bring change to the world beginning with you. We are to bring the effect of the word of God to the world through our way of life.
In the Gospel, Jesus reads from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah in the Synagogue. He proclaims that the Spirit of the Lord is upon Him, anointing Him to bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, and give sight to the blind. We find the fulfilment of this prophecy in Jesus Christ who came to bring liberation to humanity. This is what we may call, His inaugural address/manifesto/mission statement. His is not like that of our present-day politicians who, upon assumption of office make promises, and take oaths they never keep. Jesus kept His word even when it had to cost Him His life.
After over 2, 000 years since Jesus made this speech, we are still plagued by poverty and homelessness, injustice. Many people still go hungry each night; people’s sufferings seem to have doubled; true freedom is still an enigma in our world and so many people remain subject to others who are power-hungry, influential and in the corridors of power. But one thing we must note is that such inaugural addresses cannot be implemented by one person alone. We the listeners share the moral responsibility of helping the victims of social injustice, poverty, and corruption. We are called to further God’s kingdom on earth, His kingdom of peace and justice, love and joy.
As we reflect on these readings, we are invited to ask ourselves: How do we encounter God’s Word in our lives? Do we approach Scripture with reverence and openness, allowing it to transform us? Are we willing to be instruments of God’s Word, bringing hope, liberation, and healing to those around us?
Let us pray that this Sunday of the Word of God renews in us, a love for Scripture and a commitment to live out its teachings in our daily lives. May we like St. John declare, “Your words, Lord, are spirit and life” (John 6:63).
I would encourage every one of us and especially families, to have family time for the word of God, what we call Lectio Divina. To this, I find the words of Deuteronomy 6:4-7 very instructive. It says: “Listen, O Israel: The Lord, our God, is One Lord. And so you must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with will your strength. Engrave on your heart the words that I command you today. Repeat them over and over to your children, speak of them when you are at home and when you travel, when you lie down and when you rise.” And if possible, enthrone it in your homes. Spend time and make concerted efforts to know more about the Word of God contained in the Sacred Scripture St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Let us not be ignorant of Christ.
