Fresh Dew Media

 3^rd Sunday, Year A: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: The Restoration Power of God’s Word

Readings: Is 9:1–4; 1 Cor 1:10–13, 17; Mt 4:12–23

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s readings continue the message of the light of Christ that we heard last week. Last Sunday, the Church urged us to let the light of Christ shine in every corner of the world through our actions in society and through our witness to our friends. Today, the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew reveal what the light and the Word of God can accomplish: they can restore desolate lands and uplift lives that have been despised. This message is especially fitting as the Church celebrates the Sunday of the Word of God today.

In the first reading, Isaiah prophesies the restoration of the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali in Galilee. These two communities were destroyed by the Assyrians in 732 BC when they invaded the northern kingdom of Israel. That attack left the region devastated, neglected, desolate, and despised.

Dear friends, it is important to understand why the Assyrians succeeded in destroying the northern kingdom. For many years, the kings and people of Northern Israel lived sinful lives and refused to listen to the prophets God sent to them. When their sins and stubbornness became too many, God withdrew His protection and allowed their kingdom to fall into the hands of the Assyrians, who carried the people into exile. This story teaches us a vital lesson: whenever we close our ears to the Word of God, we lose His protection, expose ourselves to danger, and become vulnerable to our enemies, for God alone is our mighty defender. As the Psalmist says, “If the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain do the watchmen keep vigil.” Whoever refuses to welcome God’s Word is, in a sense, sowing the seeds of his own destruction.

Yet, dear friends, the anger of God does not last forever. He never abandons His people—especially when they repent and call upon Him with sincere hearts. After many years of desolation, the cries of the repentant people of Zebulun and Naphtali reached God. Thus, in today’s first reading, Isaiah proclaims God’s promise that these lands will be restored, that His light will shine upon them again and dispel the shadows of darkness and destruction. Whenever we sincerely repent and call upon God, He hears us and restores us to His glory.

Isaiah’s oracle is a message of hope for all Christians this year. Even if our past has been marked by disappointment or rejection, we must not lose heart, for God has not forgotten us. Isaiah assures us that lives which have not flourished in previous years will see the light of God this year.

This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus visited the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, bringing them the light of the Good News. Today’s Gospel tells us that when Jesus heard of John’s arrest, He withdrew to this region and proclaimed the Gospel there. Matthew explains that this fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy: “The land of Zebulun and Nephtali … The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” The light and Word of Christ healed the people of those lands of every disease and infirmity and restored them to dignity and glory.

My prayer is that the Good News you hear today will dispel every shadow of darkness in your heart and life, and usher in the dawn of God’s glory.

Dear friends, the Gospel and the second reading teach us an important lesson: we must never refuse opportunities to hear the Word of God. Each time the Word is preached and welcomed, darkness is driven away. Earlier, the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali rejected God’s Word and suffered destruction. But when Christ brought the Word to them again, they accepted it, and it became the beginning of grace, favour, and restoration. Their acceptance of the Word fulfilled God’s ancient promises.

Today, the Church speaks to all whose hearts or lives have been wounded by past mistakes or sins, those crushed by disappointment or failure, those discouraged by unfulfilled goals, and those who feel despised or forgotten. Do not lose hope. Instead, open your hearts to Christ and His Word. The Word of God has the power to restore the glory and success of your life. What happened for Zebulun and Naphtali can happen for you as well.

In the second reading, the Church reminds us that division and rancour among Christians can hinder the work of restoration that God’s Word seeks to accomplish. Paul and the other apostles preached the Word in Corinth and united the Christians in love. Yet the Corinthians allowed themselves to be divided into factions. In today’s passage, St. Paul warns them against all forms of division. Likewise, the Church urges us to reject division, hatred, and bitterness in our communities, families, and society, and to work instead for peace and unity. Let us cooperate with God’s saving work of dispelling the darkness of the world, the darkness of disappointment, and the darkness of past errors.

Let us not become stumbling blocks to the restoration, freedom, salvation, liberation, blessings, healing, and favour that the Word of God desires to bring into our lives this year.

Peace be with you.

Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima