(Sending this
early as I am going to be hospitalized for an angiogram. Request your prayers. Fr.Vally)
THIRD SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME
Luke 1,1-4;
4,14-21
Many have
undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been
fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us
by those who from the first
were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
Therefore, since I
myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good
also to me to write an orderly account
for you, most excellent
Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you
have been taught.
Jesus returned to
Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and
news about him spread through the whole countryside.
He taught in their
synagogues, and everyone
praised him.
He went to
Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the
Sabbath day he went into the synagogue,
as was his custom. And he stood up to read.
The scroll of the
prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is
written:
“The
Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because
he has anointed me to preach good news
to
the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of
sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up
the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue
were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today
this scripture is fulfilled
in
your hearing.”
THE
PROPHET
José Antonio
Pagola
In a remote
village of Galilee called Nazareth, the locals gather in the synagogue one
morning to listen to the Word of God. After a few years seeking God in the
desert, Jesus returns to the place where he had grown up.
The scene is
very important to come to know Jesus and understand well his mission. According
to Luke’s account, in this village almost unknown to everyone, Jesus is going to
present himself as a prophet of God and explain his plan of action by applying
to himself a text of the prophet Isaiah.
After reading
the passage Jesus explains it with a single sentence:“Today
this scripture is fulfilled
in
your hearing.”
Luke notes:
“The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.” The attention
of everyone shifts from the words read to the person of Jesus. What can we
today discover if we fix our eyes on him?
Moved by the
Spirit of God. The entire life
of Jesus is driven, led and directed by the prompting and guidance of the love
of God. To believe Jesus is God, is not to profess in theory a dogmatic
formula worked out by the Councils. It is to keep discovering in a concrete
way, in his words and his actions, his tenderness and his fire, the ultimate
Mystery of life we believers call “God”.
The Prophet of
God. Jesus was not
anointed with olive oil as were kings, to confer on them the power to govern, or
high priests to invest them with sacred power. He was “anointed” with the Holy
Spirit of God. He does not come to govern or to rule. He is a prophet of God
dedicated to freeing life. We will only be able to follow him if we learn to
live with his prophetic spirit.
Good News for
the poor. His work is Good
News for the most marginalized and helpless social class: those who need to hear
something good; those despised and forgotten by all. We begin to be like Jesus
when our lives, our work, and our love leading to solidarity with the poor is
perceived by them as something good.
Dedicated to
liberate. He spends his
life liberating human beings from every kind of slavery. People see him as one
who saves from suffering, oppression and exploitation; the blind experience him
as light that frees from meaninglessness and despair; sinners receive him as
grace and forgiveness. We follow Jesus when he delivers us from all that
enslaves, belittles, or dehumanizes us. We then believe in him as the Savior who
leads us to eternal life.
Make the Prophet
of God known
**************
Jose
Antonio Pagola, vgentza@euskalnet.net , San Sebastian,
Guipuzcoa, Spain.
English Translation by Valentine de Souza S.J. Mandal, Gujarat ,
India.394650
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