Reading I Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak till midday,
in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll so that all the people might see it
— for he was standing higher up than any of the people —;
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high,
answered, “Amen, amen!”
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all the people:
“Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep”— for all the people were weeping as they heard
the words of the law.
He said further: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15
R. (cf John 6:63c) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
1 Cor 12:12-14, 27
Brothers and sisters: As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
You are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.
Alleluia Cf.
Lk 4:18 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the
beginning and ministers of the word have handed them
down to us, I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the
teachings you have received.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me 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.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled
in your hearing.”
This is the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, and our first reading is about the prophet Ezra.
Ezra was one of the Jews who was exiled in Babylon.
In Babylon, many Jews forgot their culture and traditions.
Then they got permission to go home to Jerusalem, but it had been destroyed.
As they began to rebuild, Ezra taught and reminded the Jews of their culture.
He reminded them who they were.
In the first reading, Ezra reads the people the whole Torah, the Jewish law.
The Jews were excited as they remembered who they were and their special relationship to
God.
Nehemiah writes, “all the people, their hands raised high, answered, "Amen, amen!"
Many Catholics today have forgotten their identity because they don’t go to Mass.
Without hearing God’s word, we forget what is most important.
We forget God’s promises and his love for us.
We are all trying to fit in, and want to go along with what most people think is cool.
We let other people tell us what is most important through music and movies and tv.
In the process, we lose sight of God’s plan for us.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus also reads from the Torah in front of the Jewish assembly.
He reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad
tidings to the poor (...) and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”
Jesus says this about himself because he is God, the one who loves us and whom we must
never forget.
So let’s try to be like Ezra.
Let’s read God’s word and remember his love for us every day.
Let’s help others feel God’s presence today by our true words and kind actions.
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