Ordinary Time Reflection: Christ’s Salvation Reaches the Ends of the Earth

Readings and Virtual Homily for Mass, January 18, 2026, Second Sunday of Ordinary Time; Another Thought or Two on Venezuela; My Classes Are So Full There Is A Waiting List

Readings for Mass this Sunday:

• Isaiah 49:3, 5-6

• Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10

• 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

• John 1:29-34

Dear Friends and Family,

The readings this Sunday sort of re-cap those of the last two Sundays.  That is, they speak to the awakening of the nations to the plan of God (the Epiphany), and they speak as well to the baptism of the Lord.

Isaiah 49 offers a bright assessment of the ministry of the Messiah; the prophet assuring us that God deemed it "too little" for the Messiah merely to "raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel" (vs. 6).  Rather, God will make Jesus "a light to the nations, that my salvation might reach the ends of the earth" (vs. 6).  

We live this prophecy's fulfillment.  We are the Gentiles who have "seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:1) and left behind old ways and dark superstitions to embrace the salvation of God.  We may take it somewhat for granted that, if we travel anywhere in the world, from the savannas of tropical Africa to the alpine valleys of the Himalayas, from Melbourne to Moscow to Madrid to Montreal, we can find a Catholic church for Mass on Sunday.  We may take this reality for granted simply because we inherited a world where a great wave of missionary evangelization has already taken place.  But in fact, in Isaiah's time, the concept of the nations flocking to worship the God of Israel was -- well, it was the stuff of far-distant-future prophecies. 

Psalm 40 extols the joy of worship, and includes references to "a new song" sung in "the great assembly" (vss. 4, 10) which might easily describe Catholic worship in the twenty-first century.

The opening to the First Letter to the Corinthians is just that; an opening.  A greeting.  There are, however, echoes here, as well, of the new worship, the new song, the song sung by the Gentiles in praise of what God has done.  Many of the Corinthians were Greek, not Jewish, that is, they were Gentile converts, and Paul reminds them that they are "called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours" (vs. 2).  This salutation seems to recognize the universal nature of the Christian faith -- all those "everywhere" who recognize in Jesus the promised Messiah.

The short passage from John's Gospel recounts the testimony of John the Baptist, who witnessed "the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon" Jesus (vs. 33).  John's mission was to prepare the way of the Lord for God's people Israel (vs. 31).  But the Baptist also declares that Jesus is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" (vs. 29), a clear acknowledgement of the prophecy of Isaiah: Jesus is not just for the Jews.  He is for all; a light to the nations.

Speaking of nations where the faith has spread, heavily Catholic Venezuela...I have been in touch with Venezuelan friends throughout the hemisphere this past week -- though not in direct touch with any of my young guys in Caracas itself.  The Caraquenos are being very careful about social media and even texts and WhatsApp messages -- because the colectivos (that is, armed civilian militias in the pay of the regime) are out in force, stopping people at random and demanding to see their phones.  If there is evidence that the person has been celebrating the capture of Maduro, he or she could face charges, could face imprisonment.  

My Venezuelan friends outside the country, of course, operate under no such restrictions and they have been sharing their impressions, understandings, suspicions and hopes freely with me these past ten days or so.  One of the real hopes, and at the moment a cause for anxiety, is the release of hundreds, if not thousands of political prisoners, some of whom have been imprisoned for a decade.  The United States has apparently communicated this demand to the regime; to date, no more than a few dozen prisoners have been released.  

I have already said what I think of the remaining Chavistas in Caracas.  They will do what we force them to do, but not one thing more to advance an agenda toward political change, toward the liberation of the Venezuelan people.  Despite their recalcitrance, I am hopeful that the new administration in Caracas will implement certain American demands.  Beyond letting the prisoners go free (to borrow from Isaiah, actually!) I trust that the regime will, one way or another, expel the Cuban enforcers who have kept the military loyal to the dictatorship.  I trust the regime will also kick out the Iranians who -- Hezbollah-allied -- use Venezuela as a terrorist training ground.  A demand we evidently have not made, but should make, and must make, if we are serious about eventual free and fair elections and a return to Venezuelan democracy, is the disarming and disbanding of the colectivos, who operate with impunity, repressing dissent and controlling vast swaths of the country almost like medieval fiefdoms.  

There's more.  This list is just for starters.  You can see the complexity of the situation, and given Washington's determination to see a peaceful transition (a determination I think we may trust because anything less would jeopardize American investment in the nation's oil infrastructure) given as I say, Washington's determination to bring about a peaceful transition, a rapid return to democracy and economic freedom is unrealistic.  Incremental steps may, in fact, best be made by the remnant Chavista regime, who certainly have greater credibility with, and likely wield more influence over, the Cubans, the Iranians and the colectivos, than does the political opposition.

So...it is a matter of time.  One hopes.  One prays.

On a brighter and far less complex subject, I am once again this spring at O'Dowd teaching the Marriage and Family class (I know, I know, the PRIEST teaching Marriage and Family...).  The course is an upper division elective; I am teaching three of the four sections being offered this semester, and my classes are not only full, they are overflowing.  I had to ask our facilities chief for a couple extra desks and chairs as the numbers in two of my sections went above thirty (the traditional maximum number of students in a given section).  The counseling department has told me there is a waiting list of students, hoping to get into one of my sections.  

Well, it is a pretty chill class, and I think most of the juniors and seniors taking it know that.  But it is also, the kids themselves tell me, because I am teaching it that it is as popular as it is this semester.  Many of my students this term had me last year or the year before as sophomores in the Christian Scriptures class, which until last year, was MY class, at O'Dowd.  They know I try to make it fun and keep it light; evidently a winning combination, this spring semester, at the high school.  

I continue to feel as if I am walking on air -- I suppose I'll come down to earth at some point this semester (maybe when the grading begins to pile up) but for the moment, I wake each morning with a smile; very glad to be back on campus.

Hope this finds you well and happy, as 2026 gets rolling.

Take good care and God Bless.

Love,

Fr. Brawn