Newsletter Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 25th January 2026

Newsletter 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 25th January, 2026.pdf

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Gospel Reflection:

The first reading is a prophecy from the prophet Isaiah.  It says “In days past the Lord humbled the lands of Zebulan and Naphtali, but in days to come He will confer glory” on them.  In the time of Isaiah almost 800 years before Christ the towns of Zebulan and Naphtali were the first to be occupied and oppressed by the Assyrians.  The prophecy of Isaiah continued: “The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light, on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.”  The prophecy, therefore, tells that in these towns a “great light will shine.”  In the Gospel today we discover that Jesus is the fulfilment of that prophecy.  In today’s Gospel we read that Jesus settled in Capernaum, which is where the towns of Zebulan and Naphtali were. The prophecy of Isaiah is remarkably fulfilled.  In Capernaum Jesus did most of His miracles, and in that region, Jesus chose most of His disciples. In that region “a great light appeared.”  Also, in that region the light of Christ was handed onto the Apostles, and they spread it to many countries.  Our Lord commanded the Apostles: “Go to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel in every nation.”  (Mark 16:15) Tradition has it that Thomas took the faith to India.  Andrew to Russia and Scotland.  They obeyed Our Lord’s words to the letter: “Take no money, no bag, no spare clothing.”  They suffered intense persecution, imprisonment, chains, stoning and floggings. All but one was martyred.  One was crucified upside down.  One was skinned alive.  What if they had said no to the call?  What if they had decided to stay at home and watch TV?  Where would you and I be today?  We, you and I, are the new Apostles.  The Apostles of these times.  Just as we depended on the original Apostles for our faith, people in these times depend on us.  St Francis Xavier who died in 1552, took the Gospel message from Italy to Japan and India. He founded churches, seminaries and baptized thousands of people.  What is St Francis Xavier had said no to the call?  My call to the priesthood was miraculous.  I was ordained in the year 2000 at the age of 40.  As a young man I wanted to get married.  I wanted marriage more than all my male peers.  From my early twenties I went to Mass almost every day.  When people asked me if I had ever thought of the priesthood, I had a standard answer: “I know God wants me to be married and have 10 children.”  However, by my mid-twenties I felt more pressure to become a priest, but my desire for marriage was much stronger.  I wanted to give my life to God completely, but I knew if God was calling me to be a priest, I could not say no to marriage.  I wanted to give all my life to God, but I couldn’t obey Him, if He asked me to be a priest.  This gave me considerable distress.  In November 1986, I attended a Mass celebrated by Pope St John Paul II in Sydney.  During that Mass I was given an overwhelming desire to give my life completely to Our Lord as a single person to be single for the Lord. That desire later became a desire to be a priest.  Twenty-five years as a priest:  I hear over 30 confessions a day, every day.  I can’t begin to tell you how fulfilling that is, to give such a high level of happiness to so many people every day.  The box of tissues in the confessional is used by the penitent not so much for tears of sorrow over one’s sins, but tears of happiness knowing that one is forgiven, and one can start their life over again, brand new.  The Mass:  Only a Priest can offer Mass.  At every Mass, all creation receives all the merit that Christ won for us by His death on the Cross. On the Cross and at every Mass, our Lord gives himself, the Holy Spirit, all that can be given to all people over all time.  What could be more fulfilling than that?  Also, at every mass, I feed people with food which is none other than God Himself. Wow, the life of a priest!   Then there are the other Sacraments.  The Sacrament of anointing the sick, for example, forgives the dying person their sins.  Thereby, ensuring that he or she will not go to hell.  Wow, the life of a priest!  Only the priest can bless Holy objects. Holy water for example.   I was praying over a person who had howled and screamed all through Mass.  She had her own water which she was drinking. I then offered her Holy water.  She did not know it had been blessed.  As soon as the water touched her tongue, she spat it out and crushed the plastic cup.  The Priest’s Blessing:  A priest friend in Sydney had pains and swelling in a leg.  That evening we were to do a parish mission together, but he said he could not because of his leg.  Another priest simply blessed him and his leg was healed.  Not having a wife, the priest can give himself more exclusively to our Lord, giving the priest a more personal or intimate relationship with our Lord.  The more time I spend with Jesus, the more I desire to spend time with Him.   No other person loves me as much as He does and His love is always more – infinite.  This is my experience. Our Lord holds nothing back in giving Himself.  Priesthood can be difficult because we priests are only human. If I rely only on my human strength, my priesthood can be too hard but if I rely on God’s Grace, then my priesthood has no limits. There may be a number of men here called to the priesthood, please be open to the call.