Third Sunday of the Year January 25, 2026
Isaiah 8:23-9:3, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17, Matthew 4:12-23
My dear friends, this is true Christianity. Faith is not only about knowing facts about Jesus. Faith is about being changed by Jesus.
That is exactly what today’s readings speak about. In the first reading, Isaiah gives a great promise: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” This is not just poetry. This is the truth of God’s action in our lives. Darkness is real. Many people walk in darkness even today. Some live in the darkness of addiction. Some are trapped in anger. Some are wounded by broken relationships. Some carry guilt, fear, or loneliness inside their hearts. They may look fine outside, but inside, they are struggling. Yet God says: light will come. Hope will rise again. Joy will return. And that light is not a thing. That light is a Person. That light is Jesus.
In the Gospel, we see something very touching. Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee, a place that many considered ordinary, even insignificant. He does not begin in a palace. He does not begin among the powerful. He begins among common people who are tired, hardworking, and simple. It is as if Jesus is telling the world, “I come first to those who feel forgotten.” This is comforting for us, because many of us think Jesus will come only when we become perfect. But the truth is the opposite. Jesus comes first, and then He makes us new.
The first words Jesus speaks in His preaching are short but strong: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Many people think repentance only means feeling guilty or being ashamed. But repentance is much more than that. Repentance means changing direction. It means turning away from what destroys us and turning toward what gives life. It means moving from darkness into light. That poor man in the story did not know prayers, but he lived the meaning of repentance. His old life was broken, but his new life was peaceful. He stopped harming others and began loving them. That is repentance.
Then Jesus meets four fishermen: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. They were not scholars. They were not famous. They were ordinary men with ordinary work. But Jesus looks at them and says, “Follow me.” And the Gospel says immediately they left their nets and followed Him. That sentence is very powerful. Their nets were their security. Their nets were their comfort zone. Their nets were their old life. But when they heard the voice of Jesus, they found something greater than the nets. They found a purpose. They found a call. They found a new meaning in life.
Jesus still calls us today. He may not call us to leave our jobs, but He surely calls us to leave whatever is pulling us away from God. Sometimes our nets are not fishing nets, but unhealthy habits. Sometimes our nets are addictions. Sometimes our nets are ego, pride, jealousy, bitterness, or unforgiveness. Sometimes our nets are comfort and laziness that stop us from growing. And Jesus says to us gently, “Come, follow me. I will make you new.”
The Gospel ends with a beautiful summary: Jesus went around teaching, proclaiming the Good News, and healing every disease and sickness. That is the kind of Lord we have. He does not only teach us. He also heals us. He does not only correct us. He also lifts us up. He does not only point out our sins. He gives us strength to change. Many people today are wounded, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually. There are wounds of rejection, wounds of failure, wounds of betrayal, wounds of fear, and wounds that no one can see. But Jesus is still the same. He still heals. He still restores. He still gives new beginnings.
In the second reading, St Paul gives a warning to the Corinthians. They were divided, and each group was claiming, “I belong to Paul,” “I belong to Apollos,” “I belong to Cephas.” St Paul asks strongly, “Is Christ divided?” This is a message for our times too. Division is one of the greatest wounds in families, communities, and even the Church. Many times we divide because of ego. We divide because of jealousy. We divide because of misunderstanding. We divide because we want to win, not because we want to love. But St Paul reminds us: we do not belong to personalities or groups. We belong to Jesus Christ. The Cross of Christ should unite us, not divide us.
So what is the message for us today? The first message is this: faith is not only about knowledge, but about transformation. Even if you cannot explain everything, if your life is changing, your faith is real. The second message is this: Jesus is the light that enters our darkness. No matter how weak your past is, Jesus can renew your future. The third message is this: repentance is not just regret, it is a new direction. The fourth message is this: we must leave behind our nets, whatever keeps us away from God. And the fifth message is this: we must become people who unite, not divide, people who heal, not hurt, people who build peace, not spread negativity.
My dear brothers and sisters, that poor man who came for baptism gave the best confession of faith. He said, “Before I met Jesus, my life was destroyed. But after meeting Jesus, my life became new.” This is what Jesus wants from each one of us. Not just Christians in name, but Christians in change. Not just believers in words, but believers in the way we live.
Let us pray today: Lord Jesus, shine your light into my darkness. Heal what is broken in me. Unite what is divided in my heart and in my family. Give me the courage to leave my nets. And make me a true disciple who follows you.
Happy Sunday
Very helpful and nourishing.
ReplyDelete