Word to the Wise
Sunday, January 22, 2023 - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Isa 8:23b-9:3; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Matt 4:12-23 or 4:12-17]For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe's people, that there are rivalries among you. I mean that each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. [1 Corinthians] "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." [Matthew]
The great communications guru, Marshal McLuhan, once wrote that "the medium is the message." An awareness of this truth is important in ministry because the person preaching is a "medium" for the "message." When a homily or sacramental event is poorly celebrated, the message of that homily or sacrament or simple interaction with a pastor can be lost because the "medium" is unworthy of the "message!" At the same time, the success of the "medium" can be such that the message becomes identified with the person of the "medium" to the extent that factions develop around that person - "groupies," so to speak!
St. Paul addresses this question in the second scripture for today's Eucharist. An important theme of the First Letter to the Corinthians is unity and "staying on message." That message is the saving life, death and resurrection of Jesus. When personalities become more important, then the message can be obscured or lost entirely through loyalties to individual preachers. The very simple message preached by Jesus, as quoted above from today's gospel scripture from the Gospel According to Matthew, has to be emphasized: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." A disciple is a bearer of, AND a witness to, that message. But the disciple [the "medium"] should be a worthy bearer and consistently point to the message and not to him- or herself. That privilege belongs to Jesus Christ in whom the medium and message are united. All of us, called by baptism to be "missionary disciples," are witnesses and heralds of the gospel challenging all believers to be united in bearing witness. In the end, we all "belong to Christ." AMEN