Sunday Reflections - THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

 LIGHT FOR THE LIVING

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

(Isaiah 9:1–4; 1 Corinthians 1:10–13, 17; Matthew 4:12–23)

My beloved in Christ,

In a quiet rural community in Imo State, there lived a fisherman called Nna Anyanwụ. He was well known in the village, not because he caught the biggest fish, but because he always fished at night—even when there was bright moonlight. When people asked him why, he would reply,
“Fish like darkness. Light disturbs them.”

One night, the village generator suddenly came on—unexpectedly. The riverbank was flooded with light. Nna Anyanwụ shouted,
“Chim oo! Who invited NEPA to the river?”

But something strange happened. Instead of scattering, the fish became visible. For the first time, everyone could see where the fish were hiding. The children laughed and shouted,
“So this is where they have been all along!”

That night, Nna Anyanwụ caught more fish than ever before. Scratching his head, he murmured,
“So light is not the enemy after all.”

 

Light Breaks the Power of Darkness

That village experience reflects the message of today’s First Reading:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.”
(Isaiah 9:2)

Darkness hides, confuses, and traps. Light reveals, liberates, and guides. When Christ enters a life, He exposes what is hidden and restores what is broken.

The prophet continues:

“For the yoke that burdened them… you have broken as on the day of Midian.”
(Isaiah 9:4)

Christ does not merely illuminate; He sets free.

 

Christ Calls from the Ordinary

In the Gospel, Jesus does not begin His mission in palaces but by the sea:

“As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers… and he said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”
(Matthew 4:18–19)

The response is immediate and radical:

“At once they left their nets and followed him.”
(Matthew 4:20)

Like Nna Anyanwụ leaving his habitual way of fishing, the apostles leave behind security, habit, and familiarity. Following Christ always involves letting go.

 

What Have You Given Up?

In Imo villages, when a young man wants to marry, he must leave his father’s compound and build his own. No one praises him for staying back. Growth demands sacrifice.

Christ’s call is similar. We cannot hold on to old nets—pride, division, selfish ambition—and still follow Him fully.

 

One Christ, One Baptism

Saint Paul addresses a serious problem in today’s Second Reading—division:

“Each of you is saying, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas.’”
(1 Corinthians 1:12)

Paul responds sharply:

“Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
(1 Corinthians 1:13)

Only Christ died for us. Only in His name we were baptized. Therefore, all glory belongs to Him alone, not to any preacher, leader, or personality.

 

Light for the Living Today

Like the first apostles, we are called:

1. To move from darkness to light
2. To abandon what holds us back
3. To bring Christ’s light into our communities

Christianity is not spectatorship; it is participation in Christ’s mission.

 

Sunday Reflection

My beloved,
We have been called to participate in the mission of Christ by bringing light to those who dwell in darkness, and like the apostles we must give up everything to follow Christ.

We must note that it is only Christ who died for us and in whom we are baptized who should receive all glory, not any person.

What have you given up to answer Christ’s call?

May God bless you.

Happy Sunday.

Rev. Fr. Chinedu Ibearugbulem, C.S.Sp