A PROPHECY AWAITING ITS FULFILLMENT.

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C
January 21, 2007.
(First Reading: Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10) (Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30) (Gospel Reading: Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21)

A PROPHECY AWAITING
ITS FULFILLMENT.

The gospel reading today speaks of the fulfillment of a prophecy: The Lord Jesus brings the Good News to mankind. Jesus has come "to bring glad tidings to the poor... to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19). This is the prophecy which is now fulfilled in our hearing. The Lord Jesus has fulfilled his part in this prophecy.

There is, however another part to this prophecy which is awaiting its fulfillment: Our acceptance of the prophecy, to fulfill it in our lives. It is in the hands of us, human beings, to accept the Good News of Jesus, to make it a reality in our world.

The Book of Nehemiah (First reading) gives us the example of how the people accept the word of the Lord: Upon hearing the word (the Law) of God "the assembly, which consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand... their hands raised high, answered, 'Amen, amen'". And rejoicing in the Lord became their strength. The people heard the God's word, had made it part of their life. We, Christians and men of good will, need also to hear the Good News of the Lord in order to fulfill today the part of the prophecy that pertains to us.

The World Fights Against the Good News.
The Good News of the Lord Jesus is already in our midst, even though we live in a world which is in open opposition to the Good News. Even more, our world tries to destroy the Good News. The Lord Jesus, however is on the side of those who want to accept His Good News, for the more the world tries to destroy the Good News, the more real and alive the Good News becomes. The following examples explains it:
- The more inequality the world creates, the more we, Christians and men of good will, struggle to achieve equality.

- The more injustice is inflicted upon mankind, the more we feel the need to restore justice.

- The more oppression is forced upon human beings, the more we see the need to bring about liberation.

- The more the world resorts to wars and destruction, the more we struggle for peace and respect among human beings.

- The more the world offends human dignity, the more we value and struggle to restore the dignity of every human being.

- The more the world tries to keep human beings in the darkness of false gods (Conformism, ignorance, submission, indifference, self-complaisance, egotism), the more we advocate for the light that leads to fullness of life for all mankind.

Are We Committed To Bringing About the Fulfillment of the Good News Prophecy?
We demonstrate our commitment to the Good News only to the extent that we remain committed to the work which Jesus has already done for mankind. In other words, we will be committed to equality (economic equality, for instance) only if we commit ourselves to ending inequality; we will be committed to bring about light only if we commit ourselves to ending darkness; we will be committed to peace only if we commit ourselves to ending war; we will be committed to life only if we commit ourselves to ending death.

The Fruits of the Fulfillment of the Good News Prophecy.
The fulfillment of the prophecy of the Good News brings about the configuration of mankind as ONE BODY. Saint Paul (In the second reading) describes the reality of the One Body. We, all human beings, are one body just "as a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body" (1 Corinthians 12:12).

The Lord Jesus has given his Good News to all human beings; not to just a few, or to some, or to almost all, but to ALL.

The liberation, the equality, and the light of the Good News are not just for one nation, or one group, but for all the nations, for all the peoples of the world. Otherwise the One Body will become fragmented, divided, and will become a sick body.

Today the Lord Jesus speaks his Good News to all of us. Now it is our responsibility to bring his Good News to fulfillment not only in our hearing but also in our living.