At the beginning of Advent in December we started our Church’s new liturgical year. We hear primarily from the Gospel of Luke at our Sunday masses in Cycle C of the readings that we will hear this year. We hear from the very beginning of Luke today. Luke addresses the Gospel to Theophilus. Who could this be? “Theophilus” can be translated to mean “friend of God” or “loved by God.” Some scholars speculate that Luke addresses the Gospel to a generic “Theophilus” or any “friend of God.” This was thought to be so because Luke’s Gospel speaks to a wide audience. In the Acts of the Apostles, which Luke also wrote, he tells of the spread of the faith amongst early believers around the ancient Mediterranean world. However, other scholars believe that Theophilus was a specific person, perhaps a relative of the emperor or a Jewish high priest in Jerusalem. All of this is conjecture, because we do not know for sure.
Luke states that “many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events (of our Lord Jesus Christ) that have been fulfilled among us,” Scholars believe that Luke was aware of the Gospel of Mark, which was written before Luke’s Gospel. Some of these other narratives have been lost and are now unknown to us. Luke writes of his own intentions of writing his Gospel, of wanting to present a complete and accurate testimony for us. Some stories found in Luke, such as the birth narrative of Jesus in Bethlehem, are not found in the other Gospels. Each Gospel has its unique style and perspective. As Luke states in this opening passage that Jesus came to bring glad tidings to the poor and the needy, we have a strong message on the justice and mercy that Jesus proclaimed in his life and his ministry as portrayed throughout Luke’s Gospel.
In the second reading from the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul shows how we need each another to be the Church. In the Church we need committed consecrated religious and laity as well as bishops, priests, and deacons. It is similar to how in the business world, we need managers, workers, accountants, and salespersons. Just as a body has many parts that work together, we are the body of Church are to work together.
This Sunday is designated as Word of God Sunday, which was instituted by Pope Francis in 2019. As the Pope recalled the importance given by the Second Vatican Council to rediscovering Sacred Scripture in the life of the Church, he explains that the celebration of Word of God Sunday has ecumenical value as we reach out to our brothers and sisters in other Christian denominations, since the Scriptures point out a path to authentic and firm unity. The Pope sees the Bible as the book of all the Lord’s people, not belong just to a select group. The Word of God unites all believers and makes them one people.
Pope Francis also sees a profound link between Sacred Scripture and the faith of believers. I encourage all of you to grow in your reading of Sacred Scripture. Reading the mass readings each day is a wonderful way to have Sacred Scripture connected to our daily lives. Also, meditating and reflecting upon Sacred Scripture as a part of our 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. As we hear from the Gospel of Luke throughout the Sunday Mass reading cycle this liturgical year, may the Word of God penetrate our hearts and our lives.
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