Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali;
but in the end he has glorified the seaward road,
the land west of the Jordan,
the District of the Gentiles.
Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness:
for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14Responsorial Psalm
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
1 Cor 1:10-13, 17Reading 2
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree in what you say,
and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters,
by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you.
I mean that each of you is saying,
“I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”
or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.
Mt 4:12-23Gospel
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.
Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:
The Assyrians will conquer the lands occupied by the Tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali. But, after all is said and done, The Loving Programmer will send His Glory to the world, beginning with the land West of the Jordan in the Gentile’s District.
Anguish, darkness, gloom, and distress will disappear.
The people who were in the darkness have seen a great light,
those in gloom have seen it.
They have been brought great joy and rejoicing. Now, they are as happy as people harvesting or dividing up things they got at no cost.
The thing that bothered them (the fear of death?) the heavy burdens they carried (knowing that they would soon be dead and their lives for naught?) and the rod of their taskmaster (the devil, who convinced them they should spend their lives laboring for nothing) has been destroyed, as on the day of victory over Midian.
The Loving Programmer is both what lets me see and saves me.
The Loving Programmer has downloaded within me the knowledge that, if I believe and obey, I will be shown the way to eternal life. Since I have the safest thing of all, whom should I fear?
All I want is to live in His House all the days of my life so that I may see The Loving Programmer in all His glory in Heaven.
Better yet, I will see His bounty in the land of the living. We should wait for Him with courage. Be of stout heart, and wait for him. (There is nothing better to do!)
The Loving Programmer is both what lets me see and saves me.
In the name of Jesus Christ, the living Program Who took human form and dwelt among us, agree! Don’t let their be divisions in our faith. Be united in one mind, working for the same purpose.
It’s been reported to me that some of you are arguing among yourselves. Some are claiming precedence by saying who converted them. This is ridiculous! You cannot be divided, any more than Christ was divided or that I was crucified.
Jesus Christ, the Program, sent me to tell about The Programmer, Program, and Holy Wireless Connector and how He downloaded the Creation Program and sent His Son, the Living Program, to save us. He didn’t give me eloquence so that you would forget the real meaning of what happened is in the cross of Christ.
When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been arrested, He knew that the last prophet of the Old Testament was about to be martyred. He went to live in the regions of Zebulon and Naphtali, as Isaiah prophesied in the first reading.
His presence was the "great light" that Isaiah had foretold would come among them.
Those who were fearful of death were told that they would live forever if they believed and obeyed. He told them, "Repent, for The Programmer is about to download among you entrance to His Kingdom."
As He walked along the shore of Galilee, He saw Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew, casting a net into the Sea. He said,
"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
They immediately left their nets (and the income they produced in their small enterprise, probably based on a coveted "fishing license" allowing them to make a good living.
He walked farther, and say two other brothers, James and John. They were in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them. They left their father and their boat (inheritance and livelihood) and followed Him. He went all around Galilee. He taught in their synagogues and told people about The Programmer and His Kingdom, above the vast Creation Program in which they lived.
Then, to show that He was the real thing, He would erase the errors within their body’s operating systems, getting rid of diseases and illnesses.
