Sunday Readings for January 24-25, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Lyn Zahorik | For On Mission
This Third Sunday in Ordinary Time has been designated as Sunday of the Word of God, and as I read the following passage, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone,” I checked the calendar to make sure I hadn’t accidentally wandered back into Advent (Is 9:1). We are a month out from Christmas, yet here comes Isaiah again, asking, “Are you still living in the glow of Christ’s birth… or did you pack that joy away into the darkness with the ornaments and extension cords?”
This Scripture is a spiritual “check‑in.” Are we still intentionally living in the light we saw on Christmas morning? Or have we quietly invited the gloom back in — often by trading joy for comparison?
St. Paul picks up that theme in our second reading. He warns about what happens when differences harden into divisions, and urges us to be “united in the same mind and in the same purpose” (1 Cor 1:10). Not identical. Not carbon‑copy Catholics. Just rooted in the same Christ.
Ironically, the Mass — the very celebration that embodies unity — is often the place where our differences show most clearly. Some receive Communion on the tongue. Some receive in the hand. Both are reverent, ancient, and beloved ways of welcoming Christ. Some kneel the moment they enter the pew; others bow or sit quietly in prayer. Some offer a handshake at the Sign of Peace; others prefer a nod or a hand over the heart. Some women prefer to be veiled while others remain hatless.
These are simply different expressions of devotion. Yet how quickly we slip into judging the holiness or authenticity of someone else’s prayer. When we belong to Christ, we stop insisting that our preferences should become everyone else’s. When we belong to Christ, we celebrate the holiness in one another rather than compete. We stop critiquing the method and start listening for the One Voice behind them all. And when we belong to Christ, we stay even when we disagree — because unity is not sameness. Unity is choosing to remain in relationship.
Many Catholics today speak of having a “personal relationship with Jesus.” That language is relatively new for us, but the truth behind it isn’t. A relationship with Christ is personal, intimate, and unique, and is also strengthened by other people, even if their relationship with Jesus has a different tone, rhythm, or personality.
The Gospel this weekend gives us a beautiful example of this communal yet personal discipleship. Jesus chose his first followers by calling together a holy assortment of opposites. Peter, impulsive and loud. Andrew, steady. James and John, ambitious. Matthew, a tax collector. Simon, a political radical. Thomas, the questioner. Philip, practical. Bartholomew, gentle.
This is not a group that would naturally choose each other. But Jesus didn’t ask them to think alike, act alike, or pray alike. He asked them to bring the best of who they were and follow him, together. That is the community Jesus dares to form from fishermen, doubters, dreamers — and us. This is the parish community we slowly, beautifully become each day as we remember the deepest truth of all: “I belong to Christ and you belong to Christ. Amen.”
The readings for Sunday, January 25, can be found at Third Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB.