Gospel  LK 4:14-22
 
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.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
Reflection:
Jesus proclaimed to his fellow Jews the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” to bring the good news to the poor, set people free from bonds of judgement, to give people eyes to see God’s love of them and to ‘proclaim’ that right now they are acceptable in the eyes of God.
Jesus did not simply read Isaiah’s words. He told those listening, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” In other words he said, this is what I am doing.
What do I do when I hear the words of Jesus proclaim, “I was hungry and you fed me; thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you sheltered me; naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison and you visited me?”
It is not enough in the eyes of the Lord that I simply hear and proclaim His word. I too must personally act upon it. Otherwise Jesus’ word, His life and His sacrifice have fallen on deaf ears.
“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
John 13: 14