We began Ordinary Time, the numbered weeks, last Monday.  They fill in the time between the end of the Christmas Season with the Baptism of the Lord and the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday on March 9^th. 

First Reading: Isaiah 49:3,5-6

This passage is taken from the second of four servant songs in the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 49:1-7).  It is from the second section, the Book of Consolation.  The Lord directly addresses His servant.  Preparation to become a servant of the Lord comes from the moment of conception: “[The Lord] formed me as His servant from the womb.”  The servant does not become great and powerful, but is a witness of the power and glory of God in his own life. 

In this passage, God gives a much more expansive role to His servant.  The message of salvation is too great to be confined to a single group of people.  The Jews, restored from Exile in Babylon, are to be “a light to the nations.”  They are to be like a lighthouse that shows the direction for travelers to a safe harbor, even when the rest of the lights of heaven go out in a dark and stormy night. 

The servant may not be in the spotlight, but it is still an important role for the success of the mission.  In the seminary, we put on plays in the auditorium.  I never wanted to audition for role on the stage, but I was quite happy to be on the stage crew.  I worked with another student on the light board.  He had done this before and was far more experienced in this then I was.  We had a monitor backstage, so that we could see what was occurring on stage.   During one of the dramatic portions of the play, as I was bringing up the dimmer lever slowly on the main character, I couldn’t see anything on screen.  Perhaps the monitor was malfunctioning.  I pointed it out to my mentor.  He had an anxious look on his face and told me that I had forgotten to turn on the light, as I raised the dimmer.  The auditorium was in complete darkness.  Frantically, I reached for the switch to turn it on.  All of a sudden, the character was flooded in light. . .but the dimmer was almost fried!  You aren’t supposed to flip on those lights when full power is going through the dimmer.  The play continued without incident.  But I learned that I had to be more careful with the light, when I am entrusted with helping people see through the darkness. 

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Until the end of February, the second reading on Sunday will be a continuous and successive reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians. 

At the very beginning of this letter, Paul indicates that he is an apostle, one who is sent “by the will of God.”  He is not alone.  He is in the company of “Sosthenes, our brother.”  The term indicates fellowship in faith, not a blood relationship in the letters of Paul. 

Using the Acts of the Apostles as a guide, many scholars believe that Paul spent about a year and a half in Corinth, a sea town on an isthmus, a narrow land bridge between the upper and lower portions of Greece (Acts 18:11).  It was the safest passage for people traveling by sea between Italy and Asia Minor.  Smaller vessels were pulled overland to continue their journey.  Here, Paul would have been exposed to a variety of people, who were passing through the city.  The people would also be more open to different thinking because of contact with the travelers. There were divisions in the Church, and Paul would challenge them.  He would urge them to look to their shared faith in Christ Jesus to keep them together and to correct their errors of behavior and treatment of one another.  He wanted them to know that they were also members of a company, who were “called to be holy” by Christ Jesus. 

Some scholars have suggested that the dual greeting, “grace. . .and peace,” combine the Greek and Hebrew words of greeting in his letter. 

Gospel: John 1:29-34

Even in the first public appearance of Jesus in the Gospel of John, the evangelist foretells the sacrifice that will be narrated at the end.  Jesus is “the Lamb of God.”  Jesus was crucified on “preparation day,” when the lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple for the Passover meal (John 19:31).  His mission is to take away the sin of the world.

The Spirit, “coming down like a dove,” recalls Jacob’s vision in Genesis.  In that story, Jacob saw angels, which translates as “messengers,” going up and coming down (Genesis 28:12).  Here, the Spirit will “come down and remain” in the person of Jesus.  John also recognizes Jesus as “the Son of God.”  John began His mission without full knowledge.  It was on a “need-to-know” basis.  But he knew “the one who sent me to baptize.”  By remaining connected to this voice, John was assured of fulfilling his mission.  And so are we, as we enter this new year!

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Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.