Homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 25th, 2026

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. (Matthew 4:16) 

When will this miracle of light happen again and illumine our world?  

We need it NOW! 

Darkness is spreading everywhere. We knew that we could not trust politicians and preowned-cars salesmen. But now whom can we trust, so that we go on living?  

Since our life and our mental sanity depend on the answer we give, let us take all the time we need to do so. 

Can we trust the mass media? Can we rely on those who should keep us healthy? Those who grow, prepare and sell the food we eat?  Can we be sure that those who instruct our children have their best interest at heart and are not driven by perverse ideologies? 

Nowadays, the scariest darkness comes from AI in the hands of people with sinister goals in mind. So, we have reached the point at which we cannot be certain if what is put in front of our eyes is true or false, reality or fake, fact or fiction. That is scary. That is disconcerting. That can be paralyzing.  

Life becomes impossible. Could it be that we have reached the point at which the circle of those whom we trust is as small as our family and some true friends?   

The result of this pervasive darkness must stem from the loss of sound principles and the rejection of absolutes.  

But a world without principles and absolutes is as good as a door without hinges. 

Without principles, human behavior gets flattened and pushed towards its lowest common denominator. Noble ideals are discouraged or devalued. 

Without absolutes, like God and natural law, a moral order is neither required nor expected.  

Is it any wonder that numerous people have lost their moral compass and, thus, they attempt to hide in the haven of anonymity and disengagement?       

However, identity politics cannot shelter anyone from personal responsibility and accountability.  

On our part, we must not be fooled by the world of darkness. At the same time, though, prompted by the frightening impact of darkness on everyone, we must not ignore the seriousness of the situation and hope for the best without our direct involvement.  

We take heart from this line from the gospel passage (Matthew 4:12-23) we heard a few moments ago: 

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.  

The Church wants to let us know that there is a Person who is both the Truth and the Light. 

His name is Jesus from Nazareth. About 2000 years ago, he left that obscure village to settle in Capernaum, the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, right in the middle of the darkest world of that time.  

As Truth and Light, he should have on us the same impact he had on Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. It must have been such a life-changing impact that they left everything and everyone behind to follow him. 

Some might think that these four apostles acted foolishly and irresponsibly towards their families. 

Yet, this is what people who fall in love do; they do crazy things for their beloved.  

Nowadays, of course, we should not even give the impression of acting foolishly or irresponsibly, yet our identity as Christ’s disciples and as adopted children of our Heavenly Father should make us fall in love with Jesus as those four apostles did. 

Through Baptism and our reception of Jesus in Holy Communion, we share his “spiritual DNA.” 

The Holy Spirit, the Spirt of love, will inspire us how to act as people in love. 

As such, it should become unmistakably evident to all those living in darkness that we are in love with the Lord and therefore, we are, think and act as Truth; we are, think and act as Light.  The intensity of our of courage, boldness, faith and resolve will be the measure of that love.  

Of course, there will be times in which our love for the Lord will be tested more intensely by the forces of darkness, and the prospect of having to pay a high personal cost will make us have second thoughts.   

Hopefully, the disorientation, uncertainty and the pain of so many, will be such that we resume quickly the carryi9ng out of our mission.  

May Jesus himself, the Truth and the Light of the world be always at our side to sustain us with his love and with his grace so that we may contribute personally to the triumph of Truth and Light.