Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 23rd, 2022
First Reading
Nehemiah 8:2-4a,5-6,8-10
Ezra reads from the book of the Law and interprets it for all to understand.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 19:8,9,10,15
A song in praise of the Law of the Lord
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 12:12-30 (or shorter form, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14,27)
Paul explains that all were baptized into the one body of Christ.
Gospel Reading
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus reads aloud from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and announces that this Scripture is now fulfilled.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today's Gospel reading combines two separate passages taken from the Gospel of Luke. First we hear the opening verses where Luke establishes the purpose of his Gospel. His style is typical of polished Greek and Roman literature. In this passage, we learn that Luke may have written to a specific person, Theophilus; but the word Theophilus may also be a general reference, functioning as the phrase “Dear Reader” might in contemporary writing. In Greek, the word Theophilus translates as “lover of God.”
Today's Gospel reading then skips several chapters in which one would find the Infancy Narratives, Jesus' baptism by John, the temptations Jesus faced in the desert, and the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. In chapter four of Luke's Gospel, we hear that Jesus is in his hometown of Nazareth, attending the synagogue on the Sabbath, which is said to be his custom. In this account, we find another important clue that Jesus lived as a faithful, observant Jew. We will continue to read from Luke's Gospel in sequence for the next two Sundays.