We Must Strive to Be Like Christ: Readings & Sermon for the Third Sunday After the Epiphany
The Mass readings for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany are selected from the pre-1955 Missal of St. Pius X. Followed by the sermon of Monsignor Thomas Sebastian, Oratory Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi, Society of Christ the King.
INTROIT: Psalm 96:7 – 8
ADORE GOD, All you His Angels: Sion heard, and was glad: and the daughters of Juda rejoiced. Psalm 96:1 – 2. The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be; world without end. Amen. ADORE GOD, All you His Angels: Sion heard, and was glad: and the daughters of Juda rejoiced.
EPISTLE: Romans 12:16 – 21
BRETHREN: Be not wise in your own conceit. To no man rendering evil for evil. Providing good things not only before God, but also before all men. If it may be, as much as is in you, having peace with all men. Not revenging yourselves my dearest, but give place unto wrath, for it is written: Revenge to me; I will reward, saith our Lord. But if thine enemy hunger, give him meat: if he thirst, give him drink, for, doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome of evil, but over come in good the evil.
GRADUAL and ALLELUIA: Psalm 101:16 – 17
THE GENTILES SHALL FEAR THY NAME, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory. V. For the Lord hath build up Sion: and He shall be seen in His glory. Alleluia, Alleluia. V. Psalm 96:1 The Lord hath reigned let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad. Alleluia.
GOSPEL: St. Matthew 8:1 – 13
AT THAT TIME: When JESUS was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him: and behold a leper came and adored him saying, Lord if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And JESUS stretching forth His hand, touched him, saying, I will, be thou made clean. And forthwith, his leprosy was made clean. And JESUS saith to him, See thou tell nobody: but go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded for a testimony to them. And when He had entered into Capharnaum, there came to Him a Centurion, beseeching Him, and saying Lord, my boy lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is sore tormented. And JESUS saith to him, I will come, and cure him. And the Centurion making answer, said: Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my boy shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and I say to this, go, and he goeth, and to another, come, and he commeth: and to my servant, do this, and he doeth it. And JESUS hearing this, marveled: and said to them that followed Him, Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. And I say to you that many shall come from the East and West, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven: But the children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And JESUS said to the Centurion, Go: and as thou hast believed, be it done to thee. And the boy was healed that same hour.
OFFERTORY VERSE: Psalm 117:16, 17
THE RIGHT HAND of the Lord hath wrought strength: the right hand of the Lord hath exalted me: I shall not die, but live, and shall declare the works of the Lord.
COMMUNION VERSE: St. Luke 4:22
ALL WONDERED AT THESE THINGS which proceeded from the mouth of God.
SERMON of Monsignor Sebastian:
Be not overcome of evil, but over come in good the evil.
THE Liturgy of Epiphanytide is filled with lessons of Who and What Christ Jesus is: on the feast of Epiphany Our Lord is revealed as Lord and King; on the First Sunday after the Epiphany (Holy Family Sunday) He is revealed as Teacher; on the Second Sunday after the Epiphany He is revealed as High Priest (Holy Matrimony and the allusion of the Blessed Sacrament); today, the Third Sunday after the Epiphany He is revealed as Physician and Gatherer (healing the Leper and the servant of the Centurion – strangers and pagans). Next Sunday, the Fourth after the Epiphany, He shall be revealed as Master of Creation when He calms the wind and the sea. What ties all these lessons together is Faith: we must have faith in the Lord Jesus and in those whom He has sent to build up and sanctify His One True Church, outside of which there is no salvation.
This morning S. Paul teaches us the importance of maintaining goodness and charity at all times, even to those who harm us; and in being good to our “enemies” if they do not return goodness we heap coals upon their heads (cf. Romans 12:20); he reminds us that we do this in order to overcome evil by goodness. This lesson is exemplified by Our Lord in S. Matthew’s beautiful Gospel: the unclean leper approaches Him begging to be healed. The leper would have been excluded from all public worship as dictated by the Mosaic Law, and community events, and even from his own family: he would not be allowed to attend the weddings of his children or celebrate the births of his grandchildren, or mourn the loss of his parents and others whom he loved. Thus, his healing is a full restoration of his former life. And how did our Lord heal him? By touching him, an act that would make Our Lord appear unclean to others, but as God and Divine Physician He is the source of all healing and restoration. He is the medicine and sweet balm of rehabilitation: of body and soul.
Christ Jesus is the summit of all creation; He is what we must strive to be, He is what we must become, as far as our humanity will allow. In today’s world we see so many people, especially ouryoung people, strive to be their favourite sports hero or celebrity, but I do not hear of those who wish to be like the Lord Jesus, or even like one of His saints. Do any of the young women you know strive for holy purity like Our Blessed Lady, of little S. Philomena or the Little Flower? Do any of the young men you know seek to become S. Dominic Savio or S. Aloysius Gonzaga? Youths of integrity and purity. In a culture where purity and virginity is a punch line how do we grow our saints? How do are young ones learn to be saints without example? Yes, we can start with your faithful clergy, but you too must be an example to them: purity of action, intent and speech must be front and centre, even when no ones sees: as my grandfather taught me as a young child, boy, morality is how we behave when we think no one is looking. Seek the great and holy medicine of God’s grace so that we may become saints, not only for our own sanctification, but also for the sanctification of others, especially our young, as the Apostle teaches us this morning: Providing good things, not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of all men (Romans 12:17).
As a young seminarian studying philosophy I learned a very important lesson from Aristotle (d. 322 B.C.), that good is desirable for itself and that a good life is a happy life. No wonder S. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274), the Angelic Doctor loved him so, because the poor pagan Aristotle searched for truth, and no matter what that true was, he accepted it and put away error. Over twenty-three centuries after he walked the earth, we can still learn good lessons from the Philosopher. How then, can we learn lessons from the greatest teacher, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? By studying Him and His Gospel and imitating Him and becoming a witness and example of Him. Let us say with the Apostle, Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ (Romans 11:1).
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We love you. Save souls. Amen.
