He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21).
Jesus spoke these words to his hometown congregation in Nazareth who had just heard him read the passage from the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus proclaimed that he was the one to whom Isaiah was talking about. Luke chose to highlight this event as the starting point of Jesus’ public ministry, of bringing glad tidings to the poor, proclaiming liberty to the captives, recovering sight to the blind, letting the oppressed go free, and proclaiming a year acceptable to the Lord (Lk 4:18-19).
This message of universal healing, restoration, and reconciliation for all people would be an aspect of the mission of Jesus. He presented the message that he would be the vehicle to bring the love and redemptive work of his Father to all the nations, to invite all people to be aware of the reality present to them: that God his Father is inviting all into communion and relationship. The poor mentioned were not just in reference to those experiencing material poverty, but also to those finding themselves on the margins of society, the outcasts, those on the peripheries. The captives were not only those imprisoned for debts or crimes but those bound in the chains of their own sin and addiction. The blind were not only those who could not physically see but those who experienced the spiritual blindness of pride and arrogance. The oppressed were not just those under the iron fist of totalitarian and dictatorial regimes, but those pressed down through their own anxieties and fears.
In what ways are we in need of Jesus’ teaching, healing, and restorative power? What is keeping us on the peripheries, apart from communion and fellowship? What sins, disordered affections, and/or addictions, fears and anxieties keep us bound? What is keeping us blind to the reality that God is in our midst and seeking a deeper relationship with us? Today we hear or read again Jesus’ words proclaimed in the Gospel. Jesus invites us to be healed and to align ourselves with his will and ministry of loving service to others.
We still need to hear the same words that Jesus spoke to the people of his own hometown. Are we willing to listen? Will we hold on to our biases and prejudices, to our tribe, nation, political party at the cost of losing our integrity, reason, and dignity? Or can the words of Jesus be a light for us to see our dark and fallen nature? Resisting the temptation to turn away from but instead allowing the light of Jesus to shine in our darkness opens us to the gift of our uniqueness as individuals, the richness of our human diversity while at the same time recognizing that we truly are all interconnected.
The Psalmist stated that, “From fraud and violence he will redeem them” (Psalm 72:14) and John wrote, “whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). With these words from today’s readings we can begin again. We can allow ourselves to be loved by God who loves us more than we can imagine and has a plan for us beyond our wildest imagination. To receive this gift, we are called to examine our consciences, turn to God with a contrite, sorrowful heart for what we have done and what we have failed to do.
As we do so, may we experience the healing hands of Jesus on our bowed heads and the warmth of his forgiveness and love pouring through us as we are purged from our sin and pride. Then, in recognition of how much suffering and pain is present in our country and world, we can open our hearts and minds to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to participate with him in choosing love over hate, bringing the invitation of healing and reconciliation to others, and committing to bringing about “a year acceptable to the Lord” in this new year of 2025 (Lk 4:19).
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Photo: Pondering like Mary and loving our brothers and sisters as John invites us to are good ways to begin our year. Hoping to also get back into our church soon to see and pray with this stained glass image in person.
Spiritual Stepping Stones 