21 January 2024 – 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

by Fr Francis Anthony

Today is the World Day of the celebration of the Word of God and it is highlighted in the conference of Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei. The Bible is the center for our knowledge of God. In a gist, as I say quite often, I ask you what is the Bible? You will say the Word of God, it is God’s revelation and so forth. 

I will take you a little deeper, in a more concrete way: What is the Word of God for me? Yes. To look into the Word of God. Yes, it is the Bible, a holy book, it is very important for us but to see it is in the Bible that God is revealing Himself to me. Just forget about the world and all. It is a book where I get to know God. He is revealing and He is revealing Himself to me in the ordinary way, in the historical situation, yes of yesteryears and through that, He is giving me a message.

And what is the message? To turn to Him. Yes. God revealing Himself to me in history, inviting me to respond. And coincidentally in today’s Readings, we will see from the Old Testament, God inviting Jonah for a mission. Jonah is from Israel, to go to Nineveh, modern day Iraq, to preach in a certain town, Nineveh. And he goes.

We will see in the Gospel text God inviting the first disciples, according to Mark’s Gospel, and just call them: Follow me.

So in a similar way, God is inviting each one of us. Do not say: God has not called me because I am not a priest. No.

God has called each one of us to play a role in His church. A church which has grown from the Word of God, from the revelation of the Bible. And He wants us to play our role in accordance to the way of life I am living. I am a married person, I am a father, I am a mother, I am a wife, I am a husband, I am a child, a grandchild, whatever it is. It is in the family.

And we all do not work in the same area, in different areas and it is a plan of God. He wants us to be there in those places, to be people who are able, through our words, through our attitude, to show them that God is present. We are fortunate. Yes, we know the Bible, read the Bible and all. There are many others who do not know. Let us not tell: I want to go and preach to them. No.

Let each one of us in the places where we are make God real by our love, by our kindness, by our truthfulness, standing for truth. And that is what Jonah did when he was commissioned to go and preach in a different country.

And in the Opening Prayer we had for Mass, we are asking God very humbly:
Almighty ever living God, direct our actions according to Your good pleasure.

All of us, direct our action according to Your good pleasure. Then it goes further:
May we abound in good works.

So my dear friends, let us ponder a bit on this World Day of the Word of God. Yes, there is no any external celebration. If I have not read it in my books, I would not know it but that is the mystery. If we are here today, it is because of the Word of God. It has touched us and we are manifesting that we are people called by God, touched by God to be present here, to be united with Him, to thank Him.

Yes, let us not have a discouraging look: Oh I do not know the Bible. How to know the Bible? I mean what is the amount you should know? That is not correct but am I listening? Am I obeying? Am I living in accordance to what God has told me? And am I a person making God present?

My dear friends, let us:-
Thank God for revealing Himself to each one of us;
Thank God for calling us;
Thank God for having confidence in each one of us that we will be able to be with Him.

Click below to listen to homily and watch video:-

Click to live-stream Mass on 21 January 2024