We hear a passage from Isaiah today, and then again we it again quoted in Matthew’s Gospel, showing Jesus as the fulfillment of the light that God has brought to his people. Think about how there are many ways we Catholics experience the light of Christ in our world: in God’s holy word, in the Holy Eucharist, in the way we see God in our interactions with others, and in works of mercy and justice. When the priest or Eucharistic minister proclaims “the body Christ” to us as we receive the host, Christ comes into our lives, nourishing our bodies & our souls in a special way. We receive the light of the Body of Christ – we become the light of the Body of Christ. As a seminarian, I remember the rector of our seminary telling us seminarians that we must foster a deep devotion in our hearts to the Eucharist & to the presence of Christ that is there in order to make it through any difficulty or struggle that we might encounter as priests. And I can testify that my devotion to the Eucharist has indeed helped me many difficult times as a priest and as a lay missionary.
The rector of our seminary also told us that as priests, not only would our devotion to the Mass help us in our priestly ministry, but that we also had to have a devotion to the Word of God. This brings us to the special liturgical celebration we commemorate today. In September 2019, Pope Francis declared the Sunday of the Word of God in an apostolic letter that he wrote: “The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God.” Since the week of prayer for Christian unity falls on January 18-25, 2020, Pope Francis saw this a good time of the year to celebrate our devotion to Sacred Scripture, since it comes at a time when we are encouraged to pray for Christian unity.
I encourage all of you to read this apostolic letter entitled “Aperuit Illis.” In this document, Pope Francis states that Sacred Scripture is a gift for all of us, not just for a select group: “The Bible cannot be just the heritage of some, much less a collection of books for the benefit of a privileged few. It belongs above all to those called to hear its message and to recognize themselves in its words. At times, there can be a tendency to monopolize the sacred text by restricting it to certain circles or to select groups. It cannot be that way. The Bible is the book of the Lord’s people, who, in listening to it, move from dispersion and division towards unity. The word of God unites believers and makes them one people.”
In addition, the Pope sees a direct link between Scripture and the way we grow in our faith: “A profound bond links sacred Scripture and the faith of believers. Since faith comes from hearing, and what is heard is based on the word of Christ (Romans 10:17), believers are bound to listen attentively to the word of the Lord, both in the celebration of the liturgy and in their personal prayer and reflection.”
I want to encourage all of you to grow in your reading of Sacred Scripture. Reading the daily mass readings each day is a wonderful way to have Sacred Scripture connected to your daily life. Also, meditating and reflecting upon Sacred Scripture as a part of your prayer life is a wonderful way for us to have the Word of God enter our lives and enter our hearts. I am very grateful to Pope Francis for this declaration of the Sunday of the Word of God that we celebrate today.
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