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.”
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Reflection:
A father was having problems with his family;
his wife was often out of their house with her friends. His children were not
different; often they were out of their house also. Naturally the father
was thinking of how he can bring back peace, normalcy and stability to their home.
Many ideas floated in his mind until he
remembered the advice given to him by his grandmother years ago. The
advice was for him to have a regular habit of leading his family to read and
reflect about the words of God in the bible. So, he did, initially by himself
then after a few weeks he asked his wife and children to join him. After a
short period of time they lived a happy and contented life. Yes, there were
still problems from time to time but they were able to fix it.
The words of God in the bible are living
spirit that gives life, it unites us, it enlightens us and refreshes us. We
must fully take advantage of this gift by giving it regular time for reading,
reflection and meditation. But sad to say many Catholics seldom open their
bible to read, reflect and thereafter partake of its wisdom and miracles.
In our gospel, Jesus was in the synagogue for
the day of Sabbath. He read aloud the words of the prophet Isaiah that was
meant for Him. Jesus never kept it to himself He shared it with those who were
present. We must not only be content also with reading our bible we must have
the courage to share and live it.
Many are afraid to venture into sharing the
words of God; they only keep it to themselves. If we do this, we restrict the
power of God’s words within us. we also forgo the opportunity to share in the
evangelization ministry of Jesus. God wills us to share what we know about Him
so that many lives will be enlightened in that process many souls will be
saved.
As Jesus shared the wisdom of the bible so we
must also. Let us not be afraid of the obstacles and with our personal
limitations for God will always be there to help us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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