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Reflections on the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Edward Hogan

The readings for
this Sunday:

Isaiah 49:3, 5-6

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

John 1:29-34

Sometimes we Christians think too narrowly. We tend to see things in the light of our personal salvation and thus we miss the total world view that comes from the sacred writings. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah tries to speak the greater truth. "It is too little for you , the Lord says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."

In our preoccupation with our relationship with God and our ultimate personal salvation, we can lose sight of the call to be more than that. We are to be a light to the nations so that we can help the salvation of the Lord reach to the ends of the world.

In the Acts of the Apostles it was said about the early Christians, "See how they love one another." Their love for each other was so evident in the caring behavior they manifested that even pagans could perceive the differences between the Christians and themselves. If we are going to be a light to the nations, we need to be a light to everyone we contact.

In these very troubled times when there seems to be an uncontrollable impulse for the United States to impose its world view on the rest of the world and particularly on the Persian Gulf, we have to reflect seriously on the whole situation in the Middle East. If the US were merely imposing its will on the world because of its military might, this could be seen as a case of hubris and could be taken in an historical perspective to be the first signs of a government starting on the path to its demise.

When, however, we add to the military aspect the notion that we are going to present the Christian face, we have to recognize that no one is going to say about us, "See how they love one another," when our world view is delivered at the point of a gun or the blast of a bomb or a missile. Just think of the strangeness of our political leaders ending their speeches with "God bless America and bless our brave soldiers." It is as if we are asking God's blessings on us and ours because we are his favorites and thus he will bless our endeavors while ignoring the pleas of our enemies for his attention. The message is simple; we are the deserving, they are not.

Isaiah speaking for God, as is the task of the prophet, tells us that we are sent to be a light to the nations so that the salvation of the Lord may reach to the ends of the earth. It is only through projecting the light that God wants and commissions us to be that we can rightfully proclaim that we are bringing that light for the salvation of the world. Our reflection on the Christian life that we lead must take seriously the question of whether our vision is broad enough to really embrace the goals that Isaiah posited for us.

An addendum: in the light of the U.S. miltary's response to the tsunami victims, our country should recognize that we have played and can play even more the role of the caring neighbor who reaches out to those in dire need without any discrimination. This is one facet of Isaiah's light to the nations that we can and should embrace.This is the face of America that can lead to admiration rather than contempt.