Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

There is a story I heard several years ago of two boys, neighborhood friends, who became priests. Differing assignments made it impossible to spend much time together. When retirement came, they decided to share an apartment. By this time, one had become a die-hard conservative and the other an outspoken liberal. This arrangement might have been doomed, but their faithfulness to their shared Baptismal call won out. When anyone asked how they made it work, each would laughingly point to the other and say, “In his heart, he knows I’m right.”

---

Entrance: Ps 96(95):1, 6 – “O sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In His presence are majesty and splendor, strength and honor in His holy place.”

First Reading: Is 8:23 – 9:3 – “In Galilee of the Gentiles, the people have seen a great light.”

Psalm: Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

Second Reading: 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 – “That all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you.”

Alleluia: Mt 4:23 – Alleluia, alleluia. “Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.” Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Mt 4:12-23 – “Jesus went to Capernaum so that what had been said through Isaiah might be fulfilled.”

Communion: Ps 34(33):6 – Look toward the Lord and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.”

---

The Church today experiences this tug in seemingly opposite directions from many of its members and even its leaders. Handling this situation is a challenge to our charity … our faithfulness to our one Baptismal call…and sometimes to our common sense.

“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” (1 Cor 1:10).  Saint Paul, are you talking about THIS world … are you really talking to us? … today? … here in 2026? 

Differences of opinion are built into the fabric of human nature. Each of us may think he / she sees the whole picture, but none of us do. This enters Church life because the Church is made up of human beings. We need go no further than Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 15 … the first Church Council … the Council of Jerusalem. (The first confrontation between progressives and traditionalists, by the way.) Saint Paul seems to allow for no disagreement in anything, but it’s not what he meant. He spoke strongly because he was addressing the potential disintegration of the community in Corinth, not what color of poinsettias to use at Christmas. The inevitability of different, sometimes conflicting opinions is a serious challenge to our charity and acceptance of others as brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. Acceptance of others includes those who are not as smart as we are … those who don’t understand the needs of the Church as clearly as we do … those whose views are just plain stupid … and those who are arrogant, overbearing, pompous, abrasive, and irritating … often in a thousand other ways.

There are many sources of conflict within the Church. Differing interpretations of the Second Vatican Council are one broad source. Some basic facts: October 11, 1962, to December 8, 1965 … All Catholic bishops met in Rome, along with many theologians and other observers … The Council achieved many things, for example: liturgical renewal, putting the Mass in the language of the people (the vernacular), and calling for full and active participation by everyone. It called for placing greater emphasis on Scripture … hence preaching at Mass is generally based on one of the Scripture readings you hear at Mass. It called for a different approach to authority … seeing it as loving service rather than autocratic authoritarianism. And it also called for upholding religious liberty … the right to join the religion of one’s choice … a choice which should be guided by prayer and an honest conscience And as a result, there is a panorama of differing views: the Council went too far in making changes … the Council didn’t go far enough … the Council basically just re-stated what was already on the books, hence using it to justify changes is unjustified … the Council hasn’t been given a fair chance because it’s been gradually reined in, especially in dealing with the concept of authority … and so perhaps we’re back to authoritarianism. The Second Vatican Council? Yeah, it covered and addressed a lot of different things and there is much about it, but ultimately, I’m okay with change as long as it doesn’t make the Mass longer.

Diversity is a two-edged sword. The benefits of diversity are indisputable, for example, because of everyone’s limited views, diverse opinions can lead to the creation of something that, individually, no one foresaw. The dangers of diversity are likewise indisputable. Diversity gone rampant (an appealing temptation) can lead to divisiveness and then to actual separation.

This Sunday as we listen to the readings, we need to consider Saint Paul’s plea for unity in light of our contemporary Church and we also need to provide a framework for considerations of diversity. Division in the sense of diverse (sometimes heated) opinions has been a staple within the Church since the earliest times. Again, I ask you to take a look at … to witness the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 15. There is always the possibility that it (diversity) will produce splintering and actual separation. However, when Jesus celebrated the first Eucharist, He prayed that we might be one. And so, I ask you, in this Eucharist, and every time we celebrate the Source and Summit of our Faith, we need to leave our differences at the door.