3rd Sunday of the year – Year C
Neh. 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 18; 1 Cor. 12:12-30; Lk. 1:1-4, 4:14-21
Read: And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it is written:
“The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.”
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, “This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.”
Reflect: “This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.” Even today the Lord Jesus is proclaiming “liberty to captives” and to “set the downtrodden free”. Today Jesus’ words will start freeing those who listen, not only from sickness, but also from psychological and moral obstacles that do not allow one to move ahead and to grow in love. The net of uncontrolled passions makes mankind seek one’s egoistic interests, to have a great thirst for wealth, and madness for power and success.
These are chains that make mankind a slave. Today, these chains are going to start to break! The power to break these is the Holy Spirit …. “The spirit of the Lord has been given to me”. Thus, the Spirit works through Jesus not only when performing miracles of healing, but also when, through His forceful words, He breaks the chains that keep mankind in a state of slavery.
Pray: Your words Lord are spirit and life! Let the words that emerge from my mouth and the thoughts in my heart be welcomed in Your presence, Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Act: Think about the good message of the Gospel. Thank God for the fact that this is truly the word in your personal life.