Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 431
Lectionary: 431
When I came to you,
brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.
Responsorial Psalm PS 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102
R. (97) Lord, I love your commands.
How I love your law, O LORD!
It is my meditation all the day.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Your command has made me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more understanding than all my teachers
when your decrees are my meditation.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more discernment than the elders,
because I observe your precepts.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
How I love your law, O LORD!
It is my meditation all the day.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Your command has made me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more understanding than all my teachers
when your decrees are my meditation.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more discernment than the elders,
because I observe your precepts.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Gospel LK 4:16-30
Jesus 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.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
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.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
Meditation: "No prophet is acceptable in his
own country"
How would you react if Jesus spoke this message from the pulpit
of your church? It was customary for Jesus to go weekly to the synagogue to
worship and on occasion to read the Scriptures and comment on them to the
people. His hometown folks listened with rapt attention on this occasion
because they had heard about the miracles he had performed in other towns. What
sign would he do in his hometown? Jesus startled them with a seeming rebuke
that no prophet or servant of God can receive honor among his own people. He
then angered them when he complimented the Gentiles who seemed to have shown
more faith in God than the "chosen ones" of Israel. They regarded
Gentiles as "fuel for the fires of hell." Jesus' praise for "outsiders"
caused them offense because they were blind-sighted to God's mercy and plan of
redemption for all nations.
The word "gospel" literally means "good
news". Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would come in the power of
the Holy Spirit to bring freedom to those oppressed by sin and evil (see Isaiah
61:1-2). Jesus came to set people free from the worst tyranny possible – the
tyranny of slavery to sin and the fear of death, and the destruction of both
body and soul. God's power alone can save us from emptiness and poverty of
spirit, from confusion and error, and from the fear of death and hopelessness.
The gospel of salvation is "good news" for us today. Do you know the
joy and freedom of the gospel?
"Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and
desires. Your Spirit brings us grace, truth, life, and freedom. Fill me with
the joy of the gospel and inflame my heart with love and zeal for you and for
your will".
 ´´He Who Hears You, Hears Me´´ |
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September 1, 2014. Monday of the Twenty-second Week in
Ordinary Time
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Luke 4:16-30
Jesus 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." And all spoke
highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, "Isn´t this the son of Joseph?" He said to them,
"Surely you will quote me this proverb, ´Physician, cure yourself,´ and
say, ´Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.´"
And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own
native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the
days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a
severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that
Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the
prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed
through the midst of them and went away.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I love you and thank you for all that you have
done for me. And yet, Lord, so many times I have plea-bargained with you and
made my prayer conditional on receiving what I ask for. This time, Lord, I
want to be completely open –– no strings attached. In this prayer I place
myself completely at your disposal, confident of your good will and grace.
Petition: Lord, I welcome you into my soul. Help me to allow you
to enter and rule over the house of my soul.
1. Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening: As curious as it
seems, our openness to a message often depends quite heavily on our openness
to its messenger. Have you ever rejected somebody’s advice outright only to
later embrace it when it comes from a different person? Have you disregarded
a light from God because he revealed it to you through a person you would not
have chosen, or even imagined God would have chosen? This is the common,
simple error of the Nazarenes that Christ felt he had to point out to them.
What has Christ been trying to tell me recently? Through whom? Am I ready to
listen to him and allow him to use whatever messenger he may choose?
2. Open My Heart to Your Message: Initially, the
people of Nazareth in today’s Gospel seemed quite receptive to Christ’s
message, his delivery, and his authority. What they couldn’t stomach was that
they believed him just “one of them.” He would later prove himself “too much
for them.” Surely they must have thought that he had forgotten his roots and
that his Capernaum fame had gone to his head. But of course, the Nazarenes
were neither the first nor the last to fall into the trap of focusing more on
the messenger than on the message. This is precisely why Christ brought up
the example of Naaman the Syrian, who was rewarded with a cure only after
overcoming his rationalism and eating a bit of “humble pie.” (See his story
in 2 Kings 5.) Has my hurt pride ever blinded me from
listening to what Christ is desperately trying to tell me?
3. Lord, I Trust in You: At one point in his public ministry,
Christ would tell his listeners, “If you don’t believe the words that I
speak, at least believe the works that I do” (cf. John 14:10-11). Why
wouldn’t he at least give his own people from Nazareth the same advice and
opportunity? Are a few miracles too much to waste on Nazarene soil? We must
remember that faith is a gift. It is given and not bargained for or merited.
On Calvary some would taunt him with a similar deal, “If you come down from
the cross, then we will believe in you” (Cf. Mark 15:32). We must
wonder from whom came the harder blow: from his accusers, or from “his own.”
A proud demand is especially ugly and hurtful when it comes from a friend or
loved-one.
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, I accept your invitation to
come to the house of my soul. Help me to see the areas of my life in need of
cleaning. Help me to see the areas of my life which prevent you from coming –
those rooms that I close to you. Help me be humble enough to let your grace
set to work in me.
Resolution: I will console Christ with a total and immediate trust
in him and in his plan for my life today, whatever may come.
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, LUKE 4:16-30
(1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Psalm 119)
(1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor" (v 18).
READING: Jesus' reputation had spread throughout the land, and he was often called upon to teach in the synagogue. On one occasion, Jesus read from the text of Isaiah (61:1-2), announcing that those prophetic words were fulfilled in his own person. God's Spirit had anointed him to proclaim the good news of liberation, and bring healing and salvation to all who believed in him. Jesus declared a "Jubilee," a year of favor from the Lord in which all wrongdoings were redressed, and all oppressed set free through the liberating power of God (Lv 25:10). The people were amazed by Jesus' words, but they had trouble accepting his claim. Jesus compared his own ministry to that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha who were sent to the Gentiles after their mission was rejected by their own people. This angered the crowd and they tried to throw Jesus over a cliff. But Jesus miraculously eluded them. This incident prefigured the persecution that Jesus continually faced. He would find no escape from his ultimate fate on Calvary.
REFLECTING: In what ways do I practice the justice that Jesus proclaimed?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to make known your good news to all I meet.
LABOR DAY (U.S.A.) First Monday in September
Labor Day is dedicated to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as a "workingman's holiday." The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
NOTE: Rerum Novarum ("Condition of Labor") is the encyclical issued by Leo XIII, May 15, 1891 on the Church's position on modern day labor. Although the Encyclical follows the lines of the traditional teaching concerning the rights and duties of property and the relations of employer and employee, it applies the old doctrines specifically to modern conditions. As the years go by, an increasing number of persons look upon this statement of Leo XIII as the most fruitful and effective principle of industrial justice that has ever been enunciated.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Final Reunion
The ascension is about the final reunion of what appeared to be
separated for a while: earth and heaven, human and divine, matter and Spirit.
If the Christ is the archetype of the full human journey, now we know how it
all resolves itself in the end. “So that where I am, you also will be” (John
14:3).
September
1
St. Giles
(d. 710?)
St. Giles
(d. 710?)
Despite the fact that much about St. Giles is shrouded in mystery,
we can say that he was one of the most popular saints in the Middle Ages.
Likely, he was born in the first half of the seventh century in southeastern
France. That is where he built a monastery that became a popular stopping-off
point for pilgrims making their way to Compostela in Spain and the Holy Land.
In England, many ancient churches and hospitals were dedicated to Giles. One of the sections of the city of Brussels is named after him. In Germany, Giles was included among the so-called 14 Holy Helpers, a popular group of saints to whom people prayed, especially for recovery from disease and for strength at the hour of death. Also among the 14 were Sts. Christopher, Barbara and Blaise. Interestingly, Giles was the only non-martyr among them. Devotion to the "Holy Helpers" was especially strong in parts of Germany and in Hungary and Sweden. Such devotion made his popularity spread. Giles was soon invoked as the patron of the poor and the disabled.
The pilgrimage center that once drew so many fell into disrepair some centuries after Giles' death.
In England, many ancient churches and hospitals were dedicated to Giles. One of the sections of the city of Brussels is named after him. In Germany, Giles was included among the so-called 14 Holy Helpers, a popular group of saints to whom people prayed, especially for recovery from disease and for strength at the hour of death. Also among the 14 were Sts. Christopher, Barbara and Blaise. Interestingly, Giles was the only non-martyr among them. Devotion to the "Holy Helpers" was especially strong in parts of Germany and in Hungary and Sweden. Such devotion made his popularity spread. Giles was soon invoked as the patron of the poor and the disabled.
The pilgrimage center that once drew so many fell into disrepair some centuries after Giles' death.
Patron Saint of:
Beggars
Disabled
Beggars
Disabled
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 4,16-30
Lectio:
Monday, September 1, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
every good thing comes from you.
Fill our hearts with love for you,
increase our faith,
and by your constant care
protect the good you have given us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
every good thing comes from you.
Fill our hearts with love for you,
increase our faith,
and by your constant care
protect the good you have given us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 4,16-30
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went
into 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 is on me, for he
has anointed me to bring the good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord.
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 while you are listening.’
And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’
But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me the saying, “Physician, heal yourself,” and tell me, “We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own country.” ‘ And he went on, ‘In truth I tell you, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. ‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a town in Sidonia.
And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many suffering from virulent skin-diseases in Israel, but none of these was cured—only Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him off the cliff, but he passed straight through the crowd and walked away.
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 while you are listening.’
And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’
But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me the saying, “Physician, heal yourself,” and tell me, “We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own country.” ‘ And he went on, ‘In truth I tell you, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. ‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a town in Sidonia.
And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many suffering from virulent skin-diseases in Israel, but none of these was cured—only Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him off the cliff, but he passed straight through the crowd and walked away.
3) Reflection
• Today we begin the meditation on the Gospel of Luke, which
will extend three months until the end of the liturgical year. Today’s Gospel
speaks about Jesus’ visit to Nazareth and the presentation of his program to
the people of the Synagogue. In the first moment the people were admired. But,
immediately, when they become aware that Jesus wants to accept all, without
excluding anyone, people rebel and want to kill him.
• Luke 4, 16-19: The proposal of Jesus. Urged by the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned to Galilee (Lk 4, 14) and begins to announce the Good News of the Kingdom of God. He goes to the community, teaches in the Synagogue and arrives to Nazareth, where he had grown. He was returning to the community, in which he had participated since he was small, and during thirty years. The following Saturday, as it was the custom, Jesus went to the Synagogue to participate in the celebration and he stands up to read. He chooses the text of Isaiah which speaks about the poor, of the prisoners, of the blind and the oppressed (Is 61, 1-2). This text is an image of the situation of the people of Galilee at the time of Jesus. The experience which Jesus had of God, the Father of Love, gave him a new look to evaluate the reality. In the name of God, Jesus takes a stand to defend the life of his people and, with the words of Isaiah, he defines his mission: (1) to announce the Good News to the poor, (2) to proclaim liberty to captives, (3) to give sight to the blind; (4) to release the oppressed, and taking the ancient tradition of the prophets, (5) to proclaim “a year of grace from the Lord”. He proclaims the Jubilee Year!
• In the Bible, the "Jubilee Year” was an important Law. Every seven years, at the beginning (Dt 15, 1; Lv 25, 3) it was necessary to restore the land to the clan of origin. All had to be able to return to their own property; and this way they prevented the formation of large estates and families were guaranteed their livelihood. It was also necessary to forgive their debts and to redeem the persons who were slaves. (Dt 15, 1-18). It was not easy to have the Jubilee Year every seven years (cf. Jr 34, 8-16). After the exile, it was decided to have it every fifty years (Lv 25, 8-12). The objective of the Jubilee was and continues to be: to re-establish the rights of the poor, to accept the excluded and to re-integrate them into the society to live together with others. The Jubilee was a legal instrument to return to the original sense of the Law of God. This was an occasion offered by God to make a revision of the path being followed, to discover and to correct the errors and to start again from the beginning. Jesus begins his preaching proclaiming a Jubilee “A year of grace from the Lord”.
• Luke 4, 20-22: To unite the Bible and Life. Having finished the reading, Jesus updates the text of Isaiah and says: “This text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening!” Taking the words of Isaiah as his own, Jesus gives them a full and definitive sense and he declares himself Messiah who comes to fulfil the prophecy. This way of updating the text provokes a reaction of discredit on the part of those who were in the Synagogue. They were scandalized and do not want to know anything about him. They do not accept that Jesus is the Messiah announced by Isaiah. They said: “Is he not the son of Joseph?” They were scandalized because Jesus speaks about accepting the poor, the blind and the oppressed. The people do not accept Jesus’ proposal. And, thus when he presents the project of accepting the excluded, he himself is excluded.
• Luke 4, 23-30: To overcome the limits of race. In order to help the community to overcome the scandal and to help them understand that his proposal formed part of tradition. Jesus tells two stories known in the Bible, the story of Elijah and the one of Elisha. Both stories criticise the mental closeness of the people of Nazareth. Elijah was sent to the widow of Zarephath (1 K 17, 7-16). Elisha was sent to take care of the foreigner of Syria (2 K 5, 14). Here arises the concern of Luke who wants to show that openness already comes from Jesus. Jesus had the same difficulty which the communities at the time of Luke were having. But the call of Jesus did not calm down people, all the contrary! The stories of Elijah and Elisha produced even greater anger. The community of Nazareth reaches the point of wanting to kill Jesus. But he keeps calm. The anger of others does not succeed in drawing him away from his own path. Luke tells us that it is difficult to overcome the mentality of privilege and of mental closeness.
• It is important to notice the details used in the Old Testament. Jesus quotes the text of Isaiah up to the point where it says: “to proclaim a year of grace from the Lord”. He does not quote the rest of the phrase which says: and a “day of vengeance from our God”. The people of Nazareth throw stones at Jesus because he pretends to be the Messiah, because he wants to accept the excluded and because he has omitted to read the phrase about vengeance. They wanted the day of Yahweh to be a day of vengeance against the oppressors of the people. In this case, the coming of the Kingdom would not have been a true change or conversion of the system. Jesus does not accept this way of thinking; he does not accept vengeance (cf. Mt 5, 44-48) His new experience of God Father/Mother helped him to understand better the sense of the prophecies.
• Luke 4, 16-19: The proposal of Jesus. Urged by the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned to Galilee (Lk 4, 14) and begins to announce the Good News of the Kingdom of God. He goes to the community, teaches in the Synagogue and arrives to Nazareth, where he had grown. He was returning to the community, in which he had participated since he was small, and during thirty years. The following Saturday, as it was the custom, Jesus went to the Synagogue to participate in the celebration and he stands up to read. He chooses the text of Isaiah which speaks about the poor, of the prisoners, of the blind and the oppressed (Is 61, 1-2). This text is an image of the situation of the people of Galilee at the time of Jesus. The experience which Jesus had of God, the Father of Love, gave him a new look to evaluate the reality. In the name of God, Jesus takes a stand to defend the life of his people and, with the words of Isaiah, he defines his mission: (1) to announce the Good News to the poor, (2) to proclaim liberty to captives, (3) to give sight to the blind; (4) to release the oppressed, and taking the ancient tradition of the prophets, (5) to proclaim “a year of grace from the Lord”. He proclaims the Jubilee Year!
• In the Bible, the "Jubilee Year” was an important Law. Every seven years, at the beginning (Dt 15, 1; Lv 25, 3) it was necessary to restore the land to the clan of origin. All had to be able to return to their own property; and this way they prevented the formation of large estates and families were guaranteed their livelihood. It was also necessary to forgive their debts and to redeem the persons who were slaves. (Dt 15, 1-18). It was not easy to have the Jubilee Year every seven years (cf. Jr 34, 8-16). After the exile, it was decided to have it every fifty years (Lv 25, 8-12). The objective of the Jubilee was and continues to be: to re-establish the rights of the poor, to accept the excluded and to re-integrate them into the society to live together with others. The Jubilee was a legal instrument to return to the original sense of the Law of God. This was an occasion offered by God to make a revision of the path being followed, to discover and to correct the errors and to start again from the beginning. Jesus begins his preaching proclaiming a Jubilee “A year of grace from the Lord”.
• Luke 4, 20-22: To unite the Bible and Life. Having finished the reading, Jesus updates the text of Isaiah and says: “This text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening!” Taking the words of Isaiah as his own, Jesus gives them a full and definitive sense and he declares himself Messiah who comes to fulfil the prophecy. This way of updating the text provokes a reaction of discredit on the part of those who were in the Synagogue. They were scandalized and do not want to know anything about him. They do not accept that Jesus is the Messiah announced by Isaiah. They said: “Is he not the son of Joseph?” They were scandalized because Jesus speaks about accepting the poor, the blind and the oppressed. The people do not accept Jesus’ proposal. And, thus when he presents the project of accepting the excluded, he himself is excluded.
• Luke 4, 23-30: To overcome the limits of race. In order to help the community to overcome the scandal and to help them understand that his proposal formed part of tradition. Jesus tells two stories known in the Bible, the story of Elijah and the one of Elisha. Both stories criticise the mental closeness of the people of Nazareth. Elijah was sent to the widow of Zarephath (1 K 17, 7-16). Elisha was sent to take care of the foreigner of Syria (2 K 5, 14). Here arises the concern of Luke who wants to show that openness already comes from Jesus. Jesus had the same difficulty which the communities at the time of Luke were having. But the call of Jesus did not calm down people, all the contrary! The stories of Elijah and Elisha produced even greater anger. The community of Nazareth reaches the point of wanting to kill Jesus. But he keeps calm. The anger of others does not succeed in drawing him away from his own path. Luke tells us that it is difficult to overcome the mentality of privilege and of mental closeness.
• It is important to notice the details used in the Old Testament. Jesus quotes the text of Isaiah up to the point where it says: “to proclaim a year of grace from the Lord”. He does not quote the rest of the phrase which says: and a “day of vengeance from our God”. The people of Nazareth throw stones at Jesus because he pretends to be the Messiah, because he wants to accept the excluded and because he has omitted to read the phrase about vengeance. They wanted the day of Yahweh to be a day of vengeance against the oppressors of the people. In this case, the coming of the Kingdom would not have been a true change or conversion of the system. Jesus does not accept this way of thinking; he does not accept vengeance (cf. Mt 5, 44-48) His new experience of God Father/Mother helped him to understand better the sense of the prophecies.
4) Personal questions
• The program of Jesus is to accept the excluded. Do we accept
everybody or do we exclude some? Which are the reasons which lead us to exclude
certain persons?
• Is the program of Jesus truly our program, my program? Who are the excluded whom we should accept better in our community? Who or what thing gives us the strength to carry out the mission which is entrusted to us by Jesus?
• Is the program of Jesus truly our program, my program? Who are the excluded whom we should accept better in our community? Who or what thing gives us the strength to carry out the mission which is entrusted to us by Jesus?
5) Concluding Prayer
How I love your Law, Lord!
I ponder it all day long.
You make me wiser than my enemies
by your commandment which is mine for ever. (Ps 119,97-78)
I ponder it all day long.
You make me wiser than my enemies
by your commandment which is mine for ever. (Ps 119,97-78)
