- 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday of the Word of God
The Conversion of Saint Paul
Readings: Isaiah 8:23-9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23
On this Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, also celebrated as the Sunday of the Word of God and the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the readings converge on one decisive truth: the living presence of Jesus brings about radical and concrete change. Where Christ enters, darkness gives way to light, confusion to clarity, and division to communion. Isaiah announces a people who once walked in gloom now flooded with joy, while the Gospel shows Jesus proclaiming the nearness of the Kingdom and calling people to repentance, a call that is not moral pressure but an invitation to a new way of seeing and living. Saint Paul’s own conversion stands as a powerful witness that encountering Christ reshapes priorities, loyalties, and relationships; it breaks down rivalries and reorients hearts toward unity. Thus, the Word we celebrate today is not meant to be admired from a distance but received as a force that heals fractures within the Church and within ourselves. To welcome Jesus is to allow His Word to gather what is scattered, to reconcile what is divided, and to form a people united in faith, practice, and mission, living as a visible sign that the Kingdom of God is truly close at hand. Let’s reflect: How is my encounter with Jesus and his living Word transforming my life, leading me to repentance, unity, and a concrete commitment to heal divisions for the sake of the Kingdom of God?
Don Giorgio