Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great,
Pope and Doctor of the Church
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.
AlleluiaSEE LK 4:18
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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 Holy 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".
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: By reading Isaiah, Jesus shows he is God and
Man, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444
AD)
"Now it was necessary that he should manifest
himself to the Israelites and that the mystery of his incarnation should now
shine forth to those who did not know him. Now that God the Father had anointed
him to save the world, he very wisely orders this also [that his fame should
now spread widely]. This favor he grants first to the people of Nazareth,
because, humanly speaking, he had grown up among them. Having entered the
synagogue, therefore, he takes the book to read. Having opened it, he selects a
passage in the Prophets which declares the mystery concerning him. By these
words he himself tells us very clearly by the voice of the prophet that he
would both be made man and come to save the world. For we affirm that the Son
was anointed in no other way than by having become like us according to the
flesh and taking our nature. Being at once God and man, he both gives the
Spirit to the creation in his divine nature and receives it from God the Father
in his human nature. It is he who sanctifies the whole creation, both by
shining forth from the Holy Father and by bestowing the Spirit. He himself
pours forth his own Spirit on the powers above and on those who recognized his
appearing. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE,
HOMILY 12)
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 3, LUKE 4:16-30
(1 Corinthians 25:1-5; Psalm 119)
(1 Corinthians 25:1-5; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out" (v. 36).
TO KNOW: After Jesus was rejected by the people of his hometown, Nazareth (Lk 4:29-30), he went to Capernaum on the northwest coast of Lake Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee). Once again, Jesus taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and this time the people were impressed by his authoritative words. Jesus was suddenly interrupted by the demonic shriek of a man possessed by an evil spirit. Although many did not recognize who Jesus truly was, the demon knew that he was the "Holy One of God" who had come to destroy evil and restore God's supremacy over humankind. With a powerful command, Jesus exorcised the evil spirit and healed the man. The people were in awe of the power of Jesus' words, and his fame spread throughout the area.
TO LOVE: What sort of evil needs to be cast out of my life?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, heal me with your life-giving word.
LABOR DAY (USA) First Monday in
September
Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement dedicated to the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The first Labor Day 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.
On May 15, 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical Rerum Novarum ("Condition of Labor"), the Church's position on modern day labor. Although the Encyclical follows the lines of the traditional teaching concerning the rights and duties of those possessing 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.
Memorial of
Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church
Gregory was the son of a wealthy Roman senator. He was educated by the finest teachers in Rome and became Prefect of Rome for a year. Then he sold his possessions, turned his home into a Benedictine monastery, and used his money to build six monasteries in Sicily and one in Rome. Upon seeing English children being sold in the Roman Forum, he became a missionary to England. Gregory was elected Pope by unanimous acclamation on 3 September 590, the first monk to be chosen. He sent St Augustine of Canterbury and a company of monks to evangelize England, and other missionaries to France, Spain, and Africa. Gregory wrote seminal works on the Mass and Office. He collected the melodies and plain chant that became associated with him, known as Gregorian Chants. Gregory is one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church.
Monday 3
September 2018
1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Psalm 118(119):97-102. Luke 4:16-30.
Lord, I love your commands—Psalm 118(119):97-102.
‘The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me.’
On us, too, rests the Spirit of the Lord, for ‘they who are sons
and daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God’. We demonstrate this by
docility to the Spirit’s inspirations.
But receiving the Spirit is meant to make us apostles also.
We too are sent – in our own time, place and circumstances of
life – to preach the Good News to the poor (and there are many kinds of
poverty), to proclaim new sight to the blind (and there are many ways of being
blind), to set the downtrodden free (and the crushing burdens people carry are
manifold).
Saint Gregory the Great
Saint of the Day for September 3
(c. 540 – March 12, 604)
 |
| Saint Gregory the Great | Jusepe de Ribera, also known as José de Ribera |
Saint Gregory the Great’s Story
Gregory was the prefect of Rome before he was 30. After five
years in office he resigned, founded six monasteries on his Sicilian estate,
and became a Benedictine monk in his own home at Rome.
Ordained a priest, Gregory became one of the pope’s seven
deacons, and also served six years in the East as papal representative in
Constantinople. He was recalled to become abbot, but at the age of 50 was
elected pope by the clergy and people of Rome.
Gregory was direct and firm. He removed unworthy priests from
office, forbade taking money for many services, emptied the papal treasury to
ransom prisoners of the Lombards and to care for persecuted Jews and the
victims of plague and famine. He was very concerned about the conversion of
England, sending 40 monks from his own monastery. He is known for his reform of
the liturgy, and for strengthening respect for doctrine. Whether he was largely
responsible for the revision of “Gregorian” chant is disputed.
Gregory lived in a time of perpetual strife with invading
Lombards and difficult relations with the East. When Rome itself was under
attack, he interviewed the Lombard king.
His book, Pastoral Care, on the duties and qualities
of a bishop, was read for centuries after his death. He described bishops
mainly as physicians whose main duties were preaching and the enforcement of
discipline. In his own down-to-earth preaching, Gregory was skilled at applying
the daily Gospel to the needs of his listeners. Called “the Great,” Gregory has
been given a place with Augustine, Ambrose, and Jerome, as one of the four key
doctors of the Western Church.
An Anglican historian has written: “It is impossible to conceive
what would have been the confusion, the lawlessness, the chaotic state of the
Middle Ages without the medieval papacy; and of the medieval papacy, the real
father is Gregory the Great.”
Reflection
Gregory was content to be a monk, but he willingly served the
Church in other ways when asked. He sacrificed his own preferences in many
ways, especially when he was called to be Bishop of Rome. Once he was called to
public service, Gregory gave his considerable energies completely to this work.
Gregory’s description of bishops as physicians fits in well with Pope Francis’
description of the Church as a “field hospital.”
Saint Gregory the Great is the Patron Saint of:
England
Epilepsy
Musicians
Teachers
Epilepsy
Musicians
Teachers
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 4:16-30
Lectio Divina:
Monday, September 3, 2018
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)
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