Gospel: Luke 1:1-4;
4:14-21
Since many have
undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among
us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the
word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating
everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most
excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you
have received.
Jesus returned to
Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole
region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth,
where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on
the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet
Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings
to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of
sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year
acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the
attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at
him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your
hearing.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A group of young
people asked a learned man of faith about Jesus and the Catholic faith. He answered
them and was able to satisfactorily address their questions. But when pressed
to share some more of his wisdom he politely refused to do so. He told them
that they should also read and study so that they would learn too.
But what this
learned man of faith doesn’t know was the
group who’ve asked him to share more of his wisdom were uneducated (they don’t
know how to read and write). If only this learned man of faith were generous
enough to share his time and wisdom. He could have blessed and watered barren
minds thirsting to know more about Jesus and the universal faith. He could have
been an instrument of evangelization and propagation of the faith. But he chose
to be selfish and egocentric and he kept to himself what was supposed to be
generously shared.
In the gospel we
read about Saint Luke who was very generous about his knowledge of the faith.
He wrote everything about the teachings accurately and then he shared it with
Theophilus.
In the second part
of the gospel we also read about Jesus who was just through with His mission.
Instead of resting for a while He went directly into the synagogue for the
Sabbath day. There He movingly read the scroll about the prophet Isaiah: “The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings
to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of
sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year
acceptable to the Lord (Luke 4:18-19).”
in the first reading
we also about the Priest Erza who generously read about the laws of God to all
people from daybreak till midday. While reading it he touched hearts and minds thus
it moved his audience to tears. The crowd was touched by the Holy Spirit for
the reason that the Priest Erza passionately shared the book about God.
My friend, you may
not be that learned/knowledgeable about Jesus and our faith but you certainly
know something that others don’t. Why not share what you know about Jesus and
His message of salvation. If you’re not used to preaching before an audience
use the many platforms available in the internet. Have no fear because the Holy
Spirit will be there to empower you.
Why not take this
extra step for Jesus? You will certainly touch hearts, empower minds and change
lives too! – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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