Beloved in Christ,
"He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah" (Is 4: 16). We just heard a gospel passage read to us that Jesus went into the synagogue on a sabbath day, as was his custom, stood up, and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah from which he read of the prophecy about the messiah who will announce good tidings, proclaim liberty to captives, restore sight to the blind, and set in a year of the Lord's blessings. Jesus is the living fulfillment of this prophetic passage. Sacred scriptures are God's words and plans for our ultimate good. If it was customary for Jesus to go to the synagogue to read and preach the Word of God, what about us? What is our relationship to the Word of God?
Today is the Sunday of the Word of God. Pope Francis established this celebration of the centrality of the Bible in Christian life as a universal event just six years ago, and we must make the best of this opportunity. The Church encourages us to develop a love for Sacred Scriptures by owning one, reading and meditating on it, and applying its instructions to our daily lives. What is one good reason for reading and meditating on the Bible? Jesus! Jesus was a man of the Sacred Scripture. He read and used the Scriptures in his ministry and life. Jesus quotes the Scriptures so often to explain and defend his mission. He even used the words of the Scriptures to fight and defeat the devil's temptation after his forty days of fasting. Jesus revealed his identity to the Jewish people by referencing the Old Testament, as in today's gospel. After reading messianic prophecies from Isaiah, he gave a short reflection that shows that he is the Messiah, the anointed one: "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk 4:21).
If Jesus was familiar with the Holy Scriptures, so should we. We should imitate our Lord. The Bible's central character is Jesus Christ himself. He fulfills all of God's promises to humanity. If we must deepen our knowledge and increase our love of Jesus, we must make reading the Bible an essential part of our daily Christian living. As St. Jerome famously said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." The Bible scholar saint taught us that the Bible contains the wisdom and power of God, and seriously studying the Sacred Word is not an option but an obligation for one who wants to grow in the knowledge and love of Christ. I strongly encourage those who do not have one to get a Catholic Bible with orthodox commentary. I can recommend a couple to you. I have many versions and translations of the Bible. I read them comparatively and studied the commentaries. I can testify that my constant reading, study, and praying of the Bible has been a significant source of my enduring faith in times of distress. Get a Bible. Read your Bible daily. Get to know God and his plans for you.
Talking about God's plan for us, Scripture was very instructive in discovering God's plan regarding my vocation. Reading the Bible helped me realize that God had called me a priest. Other factors contribute to that awareness. The Church and family were also a big part. In light of this, I am happy to announce that, in fulfilling the wish of Bishop Timothy Senior and Fr. Josh Weaver, the Diocesan vocation director, our parish recently established a Vocation Awareness Ministry (VAM). I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the following generous volunteers who are part of the VAM membership: Don Heffner, Rob Cavender, Holly Collins, Lisa Cleveland, and Frank Telenko. Thanks!
In Christ,
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
"He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah" (Is 4: 16). We just heard a gospel passage read to us that Jesus went into the synagogue on a sabbath day, as was his custom, stood up, and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah from which he read of the prophecy about the messiah who will announce good tidings, proclaim liberty to captives, restore sight to the blind, and set in a year of the Lord's blessings. Jesus is the living fulfillment of this prophetic passage. Sacred scriptures are God's words and plans for our ultimate good. If it was customary for Jesus to go to the synagogue to read and preach the Word of God, what about us? What is our relationship to the Word of God?
Today is the Sunday of the Word of God. Pope Francis established this celebration of the centrality of the Bible in Christian life as a universal event just six years ago, and we must make the best of this opportunity. The Church encourages us to develop a love for Sacred Scriptures by owning one, reading and meditating on it, and applying its instructions to our daily lives. What is one good reason for reading and meditating on the Bible? Jesus! Jesus was a man of the Sacred Scripture. He read and used the Scriptures in his ministry and life. Jesus quotes the Scriptures so often to explain and defend his mission. He even used the words of the Scriptures to fight and defeat the devil's temptation after his forty days of fasting. Jesus revealed his identity to the Jewish people by referencing the Old Testament, as in today's gospel. After reading messianic prophecies from Isaiah, he gave a short reflection that shows that he is the Messiah, the anointed one: "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk 4:21).
If Jesus was familiar with the Holy Scriptures, so should we. We should imitate our Lord. The Bible's central character is Jesus Christ himself. He fulfills all of God's promises to humanity. If we must deepen our knowledge and increase our love of Jesus, we must make reading the Bible an essential part of our daily Christian living. As St. Jerome famously said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." The Bible scholar saint taught us that the Bible contains the wisdom and power of God, and seriously studying the Sacred Word is not an option but an obligation for one who wants to grow in the knowledge and love of Christ. I strongly encourage those who do not have one to get a Catholic Bible with orthodox commentary. I can recommend a couple to you. I have many versions and translations of the Bible. I read them comparatively and studied the commentaries. I can testify that my constant reading, study, and praying of the Bible has been a significant source of my enduring faith in times of distress. Get a Bible. Read your Bible daily. Get to know God and his plans for you.
Talking about God's plan for us, Scripture was very instructive in discovering God's plan regarding my vocation. Reading the Bible helped me realize that God had called me a priest. Other factors contribute to that awareness. The Church and family were also a big part. In light of this, I am happy to announce that, in fulfilling the wish of Bishop Timothy Senior and Fr. Josh Weaver, the Diocesan vocation director, our parish recently established a Vocation Awareness Ministry (VAM). I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the following generous volunteers who are part of the VAM membership: Don Heffner, Rob Cavender, Holly Collins, Lisa Cleveland, and Frank Telenko. Thanks!
In Christ,
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
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