This Sunday’s readings move with a clear rhythm: God brings light where people are burdened, Christ calls us into a united community, and Jesus begins his public ministry by announcing a kingdom that touches real life. Isaiah declares that God breaks “the yoke… the bar… the rod of their oppressor” (Isaiah 9:1b–4). Paul pleads that the Church stop tearing itself into factions and be “knit together in the same mind and the same purpose” (1 Corinthians 1:10–13, 17). And Matthew shows Jesus stepping forward after John’s arrest, moving into Galilee, proclaiming repentance, calling disciples, teaching, and healing (Matthew 4:12–23).
The Light that Breaks the Rod (Isaiah 9:1b–4)
Isaiah is not offering a vague spiritual comfort. He names concrete burdens and concrete powers: yokes, bars, rods. Then he announces God’s action: the oppressor’s tools are broken. This is what the “great light” looks like in Scripture. It is liberation. It is God’s refusal to accept domination as normal life.
That promise is not just history. It is vocation. If we follow a God who breaks the rod of the oppressor, then our faith cannot stay politely silent when our neighbors’ dignity is threatened. Speaking truth to power is not about being loud. It is about being faithful. It is about telling the truth when lies are convenient for those in charge.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. put it with clarity that still convicts: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963).
Unity is not Uniformity, it is Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10–13, 17)
Paul’s warning to the Corinthians is painfully current. When a community starts saying “I belong to Paul,” “I belong to Apollos,” “I belong to Cephas,” it has replaced the Gospel with camps and brands. Paul’s question cuts through it: “Has Christ been divided?”
A church that speaks truth to power must also practice truth and love inside its own life. Unity does not mean avoiding hard conversations. Unity means we refuse to dehumanize each other. Unity means we do not let outrage become our identity. Unity means we center Christ, especially “the cross of Christ,” which Paul insists must not be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17).
Jesus begins where power does not look (Matthew 4:12–23)
Matthew is deliberate: Jesus begins preaching after John is arrested. Truth-telling has consequences. Then Jesus moves into Galilee, fulfilling Isaiah’s promise that people in darkness will see a great light. And what does that light do? Jesus calls ordinary workers into discipleship, proclaims good news, and heals bodies and communities. The kingdom is not an idea. It is a new social reality.
When Jesus says “Follow me,” he is not inviting us into comfort. He is inviting us into courage. Into public discipleship. Into a way of living that protects the vulnerable and challenges what crushes human beings.
Our calling in Augusta: speak truth to power and stand up for others
At Saint Francis Parish & Outreach, we are Old Catholic and Franciscan. That means we love the sacraments, the liturgy, and the deep roots of the Church. It also means we take seriously the Gospel’s demand for justice, mercy, and solidarity.
Speaking truth to power can look like telling the truth about systems that harm the poor. It can look like advocating for those targeted because of race, immigration status, disability, gender, or who they love. It can look like refusing to laugh along with cruelty. It can look like showing up at public meetings, writing letters, making calls, voting, accompanying neighbors to appointments, sharing resources, and creating safe community where people can breathe.
It also means we stand up for the rights of others even when it costs us socially, financially, or politically, because the Gospel is not about protecting our comfort. It is about protecting God’s beloved.
A Franciscan way to begin
St. Francis did not change the world by winning arguments. He changed the world by living the Gospel with his whole life. The Franciscan witness is persistent, concrete, and close to the ground: feed someone, visit someone, speak up, tell the truth, refuse violence, care for creation, practice joy, keep praying, keep showing up.
If you feel overwhelmed by the world’s darkness, Isaiah offers a promise and Jesus offers a path. The light has dawned. Now we walk in it.
Pax et Bonum,
Bishop Greer
