Year A THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

First Reading: Isaiah 8:23-9:3

“Darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.”

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23

“Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.”

Reflection based on the scripture readings for year A THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Today’s readings remind us of the call to be united in our faith and to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. In the first reading, Isaiah speaks of darkness covering the earth, but the Lord will arise and shine his light upon us. This is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, we can find hope and light in God.

In the second reading, Paul reminds us that we must be united in our faith and not divided by following different leaders or teachings. He reminds us that it is Christ who we should follow, and that the power of the cross is in the message of the gospel, not in eloquence or wisdom.

The gospel reading tells the story of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, who immediately left everything to follow Jesus when he called them. They left their nets, their father, and their livelihood to become “fishers of men.” This is a powerful reminder of the call to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, to leave behind the things of this world and to put our trust in God.

As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves if we are truly following Jesus wholeheartedly or if there are things in our lives that we are holding on to that are keeping us from fully embracing our faith. Let us strive to be united in our faith and to follow Jesus with the same level of commitment as Peter, Andrew, James, and John. May we be a light to others, shining the love and hope of Jesus in the world. Amen.