Homily for Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)
#findyourgalilee
In the Gospels, geography is really, really important. It matters where things happen, where things are said and where miracles are performed. We hear in this weekend's Gospel that Jesus begins his ministry in the region of Galilee. Galilee is a region in northern Israel. Its known for its mountains, its greenery and its natural beauty. In the New Testament its the place where the ministry of Jesus begins and is arguably most successful. Galilee is the place of teaching, of miracles and of faith. It's the place where the message of Jesus is accepted and celebrated.
Contrast with Jerusalem. In the big city, the message of Jesus encounters plentiful opposition. The religious, political and economic elites reject Him and eventually succeed in killing Him. If Galilee is the land of faith, Jerusalem is the city of unbelief, of doubt and of skepticism.
I dare say we encounter our own Jerusalems everyday. Whether it be in the workplace, or in school or even in our families, we're probably used to having our faith sneered at, ignored and derided. Such is the price of discipleship. We are called to witness to our faith at every time and at every place - no-matter the hostility, no matter the rejection, no matter the derision. That said, we need some balance - we need a Galilee. We need 'safe spaces' where we can pray, talk about our faith and celebrate God's presence in our lives. Your Galilee may be this very parish, it may be too a relationship, a friendship or a place of special significance. What matters is that we have that 'Galilee' in our lives. We spend most of our lives in 'unbelieving Jerusalems' - we need somewhere to come back to, somewhere to retreat too, somewhere to find encouragement, renewal and restoration.
Brothers and sisters, where are your Galilee's? Where is your faith strengthened and celebrated? If you don't have a 'Galilee' find one and find it quickly!
"Galilee of the Gentiles- the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

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