UNROLLING THE SCROLL - 3rd Sunday in Ord. Time -Cycle C

Homily for the 3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C

Readings: Lk1:1-4, 4:14-21 (Gospel); Ne 8:2-4a, 5-6,8-10 (First Reading); 1 Co 12:12-30 (Second Reading)

From the Series: Reflections and Teachings in the Desert

UNROLLING THE SCROLL

“Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

The Gospel for this 3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C) is taken from Lk1:1-4, 4:14-21. It has a title Prologue^a Footnote ^a  says “This prologue uses a classical vocabulary and construction; it is similar to the formal prefaces of historians during the Hellenistic age.”

Verses 1 to 3 says: Seeing that many others^b have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have taken place among us, exactly as these were handed down to us by those who from the outside were eyewitness and ministers of the word. I in my turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an ordered account for you, Theophilus… Footnote ^b  says “Hyperbole; understand ‘several’. For the narratives used and known by Luke, see Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels.”

Parallel texts for verse 1 are:

1.       Lk 15:27 - “Your brother has returned” replied the servant, “and your father has killed the calf he had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.”

2.       1 Co 15:3 - Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures…

3.       Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,ⁱ and then you will be my witnesses^j    not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.^k  Footnote  ⁱ says “The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent  from God by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major decisions: the  admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the  Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit  as received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+.; Footnote ^j  says “The primary functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f.; and Footnote ^k says “nothing can limit the apostolic mission”.

4.       Ep 3:7 - I have been made the servant of that gospel by a gift of grace from God who  gave it to me by his own power.

Verse 4 says: so that your Exellency may learn how ell founded the teaching is that you have received.^c

Footnote ^c  says “Or possibly ‘that has come to your knowledge’, in which case Theophilus would not be a Christian to be confirmed in the faith but some distinguished official asking for information.

Parallel text is Ac 1:1 that says: In my earlier work,^a Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning… Footnote ^a says “The gospel of Luke”.

Verse 14 says: Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread  throughout the countryside.^e Footnote ^e  says “One of Luke’s recurrent motifs: 4:37; 5:15; 7:17; cf. for similar examples. Ac. 2:41+; 6:7; Lk. 1:80+.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 4:12-17, 23 - Hearing that John had been arrested, he went back to Galilee (v. 12) and leaving Nazareth, he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali (v. 13). In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was  to be fulfilled (v. 14):“Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way to the sea on the far side of the Jordan, Galilee of the nations (v. 15)! The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned (v. 16). From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,^k “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven^dis at hand (v. 17).” He went round  the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom,^e and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people.^f (v.23). Footnote ^d  says “The sovereignty of God over the chosen people, and trough them over the world, is at the heart of Christ’s preaching as it was the theocratic ideal of the OT. It implies a kingdom of ‘saints’ where God will be truly King because they will acknowledge his royal rights by knowing and loving him. This sovereignty, jeopardized by rebellious sin, is to be reasserted by an act of supreme intervention on the part of God and his Messiah (Dn 2:28+). This is the intervention which Jesus, following John the Baptist (3:2), declares imminent (4:17-23; Lk 4:43). It is to take the form not, as was commonly expected, of a successful nationalist rising (Mk 11:10; LK 19:11; Ac 1:6) but of a purely spiritual movement (Mk 1:34+; Jn 18:36). The redemptive work of Jesus as ‘Son of Man’ (Mt 8:20+) and as ‘servant’ (Mt 8:17+; 20:28+; 26:28+) sets man free from Satan’s rule which opposes God’s (4:8; 8:29+; 12:25-26). Before it achieves its final eschatological realization when the elect will be with the Father in the joy of the heavenly banquet (8:11+; 13:43; 26:29) the kingdom makes an impressive entrance (13:31-33). Its modest beginning is mysterious (13:11) and arouses opposition (13:24-30), it has come unnoticed (12:28; Lk 17:20-21); the development of the kingdom on earth is slow (Mk 4:26-29) and is effected by the Church (Mt 16:18+). By the judgment of God that falls on Jerusalem it is established with power as the kingdom of Christ (Mt 16:28; Lk 21:31) and is preached throughout the world by apostolic missionaries (Mt 10:7; 24:14; Ac 1:3+). When the times comes for the final judgment (13:37-43, 47-50; 25:31-46), the return of Christ in glory (16:27; 25:31) will be the final act that establishes the kingdom which Christ will present to the Father(1 Co 15:24). Until that time the kingdom appears as a free gift of God (20:1-16; 22:9-10; Lk 12:32), accepted by the humble (Mt 5:3; 18:3-4; 19:14,23-24) and the generous (13:44-46; 19:12; Mk 9:47; Lk 9:62; 18:29f), refused by the proud and selfish (21:31-32,43; 22:2-8; 23:13). There is no entering it without the wedding garment  which is the new life (22:11-13; Jn 3:3,5) and not all men are admitted (Mt 8:12; 1 Co 6:9-10; Ga 5:21). One has to be awake so as to be ready when it comes unexpectedly (Mt 25:1-13). On Matthew’s treatment as a guiding idea of his arrangement , see Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels”; Footnote ^e  says “The etymological sense of the word euaggelion (gospel) is ‘Good News’. The news is of the impending coming of the kingdom of God, v. 17 and 3:2; and Footnote ^f says “Miraculous cures are the distinctive sign that the messianic age has dawned, cf. 10:1,7f; 11:4f.”

2.       Mk 14:15, 39 - He will show you a large upper room furnished with the couches, all prepared, make the preparations for us there (v. 15). Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words (v. 39).

3.       Lk 4:37 - And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.

4.       Lk 5:15 - His reputation continued to grow, and large crowds would gather to hear him and to have their sickness cured.

5.       Mt 3:16 - As soon as Jesus was baptized he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened^l and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.^m Footnote ^l  says “Add ‘for him’, i.e. before his eyes; and Footnote ^m says “The Spirit which hovered over the waters at the first creation (Gn 1:2) now appears at the beginning of the new creation. It has two functions; it anoints Jesus for his messianic mission (Ac 10:38) which it is guide (Mt 4:1 p; Lk4:14,18: 10:21; Mt 12:18,28), and, according to the patristic view, it sanctifies the water, thus preparing the way for Christian baptism, cf. Ac 1:5+.”

6.       Lk 4:44 - And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.^l Footnote ^l- says “Mk reads ‘Galilee’. Lk uses ‘Judaea’ in the wide sense: the land of Israel. So also in 7:17; 23:5 (?); Ac. 10:37; 28:21.”

Verses 15 to 21 is about “Jesus at Nazareth^g.” Footnote ^g - Apparently this passage combines three visits: the first, vv. 16-22 (Jesus us honored), occurring at the time indicated by Mt 4:13; the second, vv. 23-24 (Jesus astonishing his audience), the visit of which Mt and Mk speak; the third, vv. 25-30 (the life of Jesus threatened), not mentioned by Mt or Mk and to be placed towards the end of te Galilean ministry. In this way Lk presents an introductory tableau which is a summary and symbol of Christ’s great offer and of its contemptuous rejection by his own people.

Verses 15 and 16 says: He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him. He came to Nazara^h where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read,^I Footnote ^h  says “Rare form of the name ‘Nazareth’”; and Footnote ^I says “The director of a synagogue could authorize any adult Jew to read the scripture lesson in public”.

Parallel texts for verse 16 are:

1.       Mt 13:53-58 - When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district (v. 53); and, coming to his home town,^m he taught the people in the synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? (v. 54) This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? (v. 55) His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?’ (v. 56) And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’ (v. 57),and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith(v.58). Footnote ^m  says “Nazareth, where he lived as a child, cf. 2:23.”

2.       Mk 6:1-6 - Going from that district, he went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him (v. 1). With the coming of the Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that he has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? (v. 2) This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset^a and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us? And he would not accept him (v. 3). And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and his own house’ (v. 4); And he could work no miracle there though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them (v. 5). He was amazed at their lack of faith (v. 6). Footnote ^a  says “Var ‘Jose’ or ‘Joseph’”.

3.       Lk 2:39, 51 - When they had done everything the law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth (v. 39).  He then went down with them and came to Nazareth, and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart (v. 51).

Verses 17, 18, 19, and 20  say: and they handed him the scroll on the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written “The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,^j to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favor. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him.

Parallel texts for verse 18 are:

1.       Is 61:1-2 - The mission of the prophet^a The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for Yahweh has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; To proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison (v. 1); To proclaim a year of favor from Yahweh, a day of vengeance for our God (v.2); Footnote ^a  says “This poem may have originally formed part of the collection, ch. 60-62, or may have been added by a disciple.”

2.       Mt 3:16 - As soon as Jesus was baptized he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened^l and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.^m Footnote ^l  says “Add ‘for him’, i.e. before his eyes; and Footnote ^m says “The Spirit which hovered over the waters at the first creation (Gn 1:2) now appears at the beginning of the new creation. It has two functions; it anoints Jesus for his messianic mission (Ac 10:38) which it is guide (Mt 4:1 p; Lk4:14,18: 10:21; Mt 12:18,28), and, according to the patristic view, it sanctifies the water, thus preparing the way for Christian baptism, cf. Ac 1:5+.”

3.       Zp 2:3 - Seek Yahweh, all you, the humble of the earth,^e  who obey his commands. Seek integrity, seek humility;  you may perhaps find shelter on the day of the anger of Yahweh. Footnote ^e  says “The ‘humble’ or ‘poor’, anawim in Hebr. These play a large part in the Bible. Though wisdom literature looks on poverty, resh, as the result of idleness, Pr 10:4, the prophets are aware that the poor usually the oppressed, aniyyim;  they demand justice for the weak and lowly, dallim, and for those in need, ebionim, Am 2:6f; Is 10:2; cf. Jb 34:28f; Si 4:1f; Jm 2:2f. The humane legislation of Dt. Shows the same attitude of mind, Dt 24:10f. With Zephaniah’s poverty assumes a moral and eschatological significance, 3:11f, cf Is 49:13; 66:5; Ps 22:26; 34:2f; 37:11f; 69:33; 74:19; 149:4; and see Mt 5:3+; Lk 1:52; 6:20; 7:22. In short, the anawim are those Israelites who submit to the will of God. In LXX period , the word anaw (or ani) has the added meaning of thoughtfulness for others, Zc 9:9, cf.  Si 1:27. It is  to the ‘poor’ that the Messiah will be sent, Is 61:1, cfLk 4:18. He himself will be humble and gentle, Zc 9:9, cf Mt 21:5, and the victim of oppression, Is 53:4; Ps 22:24.”

Verse 21 say: Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 2:47 - and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies.

2.       Lk 4:15 - He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him.^f Footnote ^f  says “Another favorite theme of Lk: the people admiring and praising Jesus: 4:22; 8:25; 9:43; 11:27; 13:17; 19:48; for similar themes, cf. 4:14+ (Christ’s growing reputation), 2:20+ (the praise of God), 1:12+ (religious awe).”

The First Reading is from Ne 8:2-4a, 5-6,8-10. It say: Accordingly Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the first day of the seventh month.^c On the square before the Water Gate,  in the presence of the men, the women, and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the book of the Law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose… In full view of all the people- since he stood higher than all the people- Ezra opened the book, and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, “Amen, amen!”; then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before Yahweh. And Ezra read^f from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was said. Footnote ^f - ‘Ezra read’ Greek; cf. v. 3; ‘they read’ Hebr.

Parallel text for verse 8 is Ezra 7:6 that says: This man Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe versed^c in the law of Moses, which had been given by Yahweh, the God of Israel. As the favor of his God, Yahweh, was with him, the king gave him all he asked. Footnote ^c  says “Lit ‘rapid scribe’ cf Ps 45:1. Their skill in the art  of writing made the scribe indispensable officials in an oriental court. The title of ‘scribe’ therefore (vv. 12 and 23) indicates Ezra was a kind of minister for Jewish affairs at the Persian court. But the Chronicler, thinking of Ezra’s activity in Jerusalem, Ne 8:8+. Gives the official title a religious meaning; the scribe is the man who reads, translates, expounds the Law to God’s people. Ezra is the father of these scribes who did much good work in the post-exilic period, which was continued by the scribes (grammatels) of the time of Christ.”

Verses 9 and 10 say: Then (Nehemiah-His Excellency^g- and) Ezra, priest and scribe (and the Levites who were instructing the people)said to all the people ‘This day is sacred to Yahweh your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law. He then said, ‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who had has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord.  Do not be sad: the joy of Yahweh is your stronghold. Footnote ^g  says “1 Esd omits ‘Nehemiah’; Greek omits ‘His Excellency’. Both are editorial additions.”

Parallel text of verse 10 is Est 9:19 that says: That is why the Jewish country people, those who live in undefended villages, keep the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of gladness, feasting and  holiday-making, and exchange portions with one another.

The Second Reading is from 1 Co 12:12-30, under the title The analogy of the body^j. Footnote  ^j  says “Paul uses the classical analogy  of society as a single body with many parts but his concept of the Body of Christ goes back to the memory of his own conversion, cf. Ac 9:4f; Ga 1:15f, to faith in Jesus whose body, raised form the dead and given life by the Spirit, Rm 1:4+, became the ‘first-fruits’ of a new creation, 1 Co 15:23. The words spoken by the Lord at Paul’s conversion. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, imply that Christians are identified with the risen Christ. In Paul’s writings, Christians are bodily united with the risen body, Rm8:11, by baptism, 1 Co 12;13;cf. Rm 6:4+, and the Eucharist, 1 Co 10:16f, which make them parts of Christ’s body, 1 Co 6:15, united in such a way that he and they together form  the Body of Christ (what is now called ‘ the mystical body’). 1 Co 12:27; Rm 12:4f. This rather realistic teaching of 1 Co is taken up later on and developed in the Letters of the Captivity, where the basic idea  remains the same, i.e. humans are reconciled to God by becoming parts of, Ep 5:30, Christ’s body which was physically dead but is now spiritually alive, Ep 2:14-18, Col 1;22. The stress however is on the unity of the Body that brings all Christian together in one Spirit, Ep 4:4; Col 3:15, and on the identification of the Body with the Church, Ep 1:22f; 5;23; Col 1:18,24. Having thus personified the body, Ep 4:12f; Col 2:19, Paul asserts that Christ is its Head, Ep 1:22; 4:15f; 5:23; Col 1;18; 2:19 (cf. 1 Co 12:21). This assertion probably developed from the concept of Christ as Head of all Powers, Col 2:10. Eventually, in its widest sense, Paul includes in his concept of the Body the entire cosmos as unified under the Lord Christ, Ep 1:23+. Cf. Jn 2:21+.”

Verse 12 says: Just as a human body, it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ.^k Footnote ^k  says “The way a human body gives unity to all its component parts is the way Christ, as a unifying principle of the Church, gives unity to all Christians in his Body.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Co 6:15 - You know, surely that your bodies are members making up the body of Christ, do you think I can take part in Christ’s body and join them to the body of a prostitute? Never!

2.       1 Co 10:17 - The fact that there is only one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf.

3.       Rm 12:4-5 - Just as each of our bodies has several parts and each part has a separate function, so all of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other. ^c Footnote ^c  says “The sentence emphasizes not so much the identification of Christians with Christ, 1 Co 12:27 as their dependence on one another.”

4.       Ep 4:25 - So from now on, there must be no more lies: You must speak the truth to one another, since we are all parts of one body.

5.       Col 3:15 - And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as part of one body. Always be thankful.

Verses 13 to 26 says: In the one Spirit we were all baptized, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink. Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. If the foot were to say, ‘I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body,’ would that mean that it stopped being part of the body? If the ear were to say, “I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body’, would that mean that it was not a part of the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything? Instead of that, God put all the separate parts into the body on purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be the body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you.” What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be weakest which are the indispensable ones; and it is the least honorable parts of the body that we cloth with the greatest  care. So our more improper parts get decorated In a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it, and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body, but that each parts may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honor, all the parts enjoy it.

Parallel texts for verse 13 says:

1.       Ga 3:28 - And there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

2.       Ep 4:4-6 - There is one Body,  one spirit, just as you were called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, though all and within all.^b Footnote ^b  says “Var. (Vulg.) ‘within all of us’.”

3.       Col 3:11 - And in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free men. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.^f Footnote ^f  says “The new creation will not be divided into races and religions and cultures and social classes in the way the present creation has been since the Fall: the whole world will be reunited in Christ.”

Verse 27 says: Now you together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it.

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Co 12:7-11 - The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose (v. 7). One may have the gift of preaching with wisdom^d given him by the Spirit; and another may have the gift of preaching instruction^e given him by the same Spirit (v. 8); and another the gift of faith^f given by the same Spirit; another again the gift of healing, though this one Spirit (v. 9); one, the power of miracles; another, prophecy;^g another  the gift of recognizing spirits;^h another the gift of tonguesⁱ and another the ability to interpret them (v. 10). All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses (v. 11). Footnote ^d - Probably the gift of preaching the central Christian truth about God and God’s life in us: this is the ‘perfect teaching of Heb 6:1. Cf also 1 Co 2:6-16; Footnote ^e  says “The gift of preaching the elementary Christian truths: ‘the elementary teaching concerning Christ ‘ of Heb 6:1.”; Footnote ^f  says “An usual intense faith, cf. 13:2”; Footnote ^g  says “On ‘prophecy’ cf Ac 11:27+; Footnote ^h  says “The gift of knowing if charismata were spiritual. , natural, or evil.”; and Footnote ⁱ  says “On the charisma of ‘tongues’ (glossolalia) cf Ac 2:4+.”

2.       Rm 12:6-8 - Our gifts differ according to the grace given us. If your gift is prophecy, then use it as your faith suggests; if administration, then use it for administration; if teaching, then use it for teaching. Let the preachers deliver sermons, the almsgiver give freely, the officials be diligent, and those who do works of mercy do them cheerfully.

3.       Ep 4:11 - And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; ^h Footnote ^h  says “Paul limits his list to charisms that relate to teaching and which are the only ones that apply in this context, vv. 13-15.”

Verses 28, 29 and 30 say: in the church, God has given the first place to the apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers;^l after them miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers,^m good leaders,ⁿ those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or are all of them prophets, or are all of them teachers? Do they all have the gifts of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them? Footnote ^l  says “The regular teachers appointed for each separate church, cf. Ac 13:1+.”; Footnote ^m says “Lit. ‘helpings’; voluntary gifts to works of charity.; and Footnote ⁿ  says “Administrators and guides of the church.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 11:27 - While they were there some prophets^m came down to Antioch from Jerusalem,ⁿ Footnote ^m  says “Like the OT prophets, Dt 18:18+; 2 P 1:21; Mt 5:12, those of the NT are charismatics, 1 Co 12:1+. Who speak in God’s name, being inspired by his Spirit. Under the New Covenant this charisma is bestowed even more generously, Ac 2:17-18, and at times it is enjoyed by the faithful at large, Ac 19:6; 1 Co 11:4-5; 14:26,29-33,37. But particular individuals are so specially endowed with the charisma that they are always referred to as ’prophets’, Ac 11:27; 13:1; 15:32; 21:9,10. These normally occupy the second place after the apostles in the order of charisma, 1 Co 12:28-29;l Ep 4:11; but cf 1 Co 12:10; Rm 12:6; Lk 11:49; this is because they are the appointed witnesses to the Spirit, Rv 2:7, etc., 1 Th 5:19-20, whose ‘revelations’ they communicate, 1 Co 14:6,26,30, Ep 3:5; Rv 1:1, just as the apostles as witnesses to the risen Christ, Rm 1:1+; Ac 1:8+, and proclaim the kerygma, Ac 2:22+. They do not simply foretell the future, Ac 11:28; 21:11, or read hearts, 1 Co 14:24-25; cf 1 Tm 1:18. When they ‘edify, exhort, console’, 1 Co 14:3; cf. Ac 4:36; 11:23-24, they do so by a supernatural revelation: in this they resemble those who ‘speak strange languages’ Ac 2:4+; 19:6, but their gift is greater because their speech is intelligible, 1 Co 14. Their chief work was evidently to explain the oracles of scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, especially those of the OT prophets, 1 P 1:10-12, and thus expound the mystery of the divine plan, 1 Co 13:2; Ep 3:5; Rm 16:25+. For this reason they are named with the apostles as the foundation of the church, Ep 2:20+. The Revelation of St. John is a typical example of this NT ‘prophecy’. Rv 1:3; 10:11; 19:10; 22:7-10, 18-19. For all its dignity, the prophetic charisma communicates knowledge that is imperfect and provisional, being bound up with faith, Rm 12:6, which is itself destined to vanish in face of the beatific vision, 1 Co 13:8-12”; and Footnote ⁿ says “Western Text adds ‘and there was great rejoicing. While we were together, one of them…If this reading is correct, this is the first of the ‘We sections’, cf 16:10.”

2.       Rm 1:1+ - From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus who has been called to be an apostle,^b and especially chosen to preach the Good News that God… Footnote ^b  says “A Jewish title that means ‘envoy’, cf. Jn. 13:16; 2 Co. 8:23; Ph. 2:25, sometimes used in the NT for the Twelve chosen by Christ, Mt. 10:2; Ac. 1:26; 2:37, etc.: 1 Co. 15:7; Rv. 21:14; to be his witnesses, Ac. 1:8+, sometimes in the wider sense for those sent to preach the gospel, Rm. 16:7; 1 Co. 12:28; Ep. 2:20; 3:5; 4:11. Though Paul was not a member of the Twelve, the fact that he had been appointed as missionary to the  gentiles by God, Ac. 26:17; Rm. 11:13; 1 Co. 9:2; Ga. 2:8; 1 Tim. 2:7, constitutes him as apostle of Christ, Rm. 1:1; 1 Co. 1:1, etc., equal to the Twelve, Ac. 10:41, because like them he had seen the risen Christ, 1 Co. 9:1, and been sent by him, Rm. 1:5; Ga. 1:16, to be his witness, Ac. 26:16. In spite of being ‘the least of the apostles’, 1 Co. 15:9, he is their equal, 1 Co. 9:5; Ga 2:6-9, because he did not learn the Good News he preaches from them, Ga. 1:1,17,19.”

3.       Jm 3:1 - Only a few of you, my brothers, should be teachers, bearing in mind that those of us^a who can teach can expect a stricter judgment. Footnote  ^a says “Var (Vulg.) ‘you.’”

The purpose of all homilies is to declare: “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”