JESUS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD'S PROMISES
First Reading: Nehemiah 8: 2 to 6 and 8 to 10
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12: 12 to 30
Gospel Reading: Luke 1: 1 to 4 and 4: 14 to 21
*First reading is from the book of Prophet Nehemiah. The happenings after the return of Jews from their exile in Babylon is narrated. The nation needs to be rebuilt. Ezra, the priest takes up the task of re-establishing the Jewish religion and its customs. He reads the book of the law of Moses to the people of the Lord God. Then he makes them renew the Covenant with the Lord God.
*Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. Paul explains to the Christian community at Corinth how the human body is united and functions as a single unit. Though our body is made of many parts, all of them work together for the benefit of the whole body. Paul affirms that so it is with the Church. Though it is composed of many members coming from various cultures and different backgrounds and are empowered with various gifts, they form a single unit in Christ Jesus. He further stresses that each one of us must co-operate with other members, for each one is a necessary member of the body of Christ Jesus.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me Today's Gospel reading is from St. Luke. It has two parts. In the first part Luke gives a description about how and why he undertook the task of writing an account of the life and teachings of Jesus. In the second part, we have a narration about the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. Jesus begins His public ministry in the synagogue at Nazareth. He opens the book of the Prophet Isaiah and reads the passage relating to His future ministry: To preach the good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, sight to the blind and liberty to the oppressed. Jesus then goes on to announce that this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled on that very day. Hence, in the synagogue , Jesus makes the astonishing announcement that in Him the great prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled. He is the long awaited saviour of the poor and the oppressed. Thus in the Gospel we have an announcement that God's promises are fulfilled in Jesus His beloved Son. The long awaited Messiah, the anointed one has come. That Jesus is in fact the one promised by God through the prophets of old. This message of the Gospel first preached in Galilee has to find its fulfillment in and through us. Hence we need to do the following: 1. We need to acknowledge that the power of God is necessary for accomplishing this mission of Jesus. We have to realize that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and preached the good news and liberated people from the bondage of sin. 2. At baptism we too received the Holy Spirit. Again at confirmation we were anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God constantly empowers us to continue the mission of Jesus. Thus the Lord invites us to grow in faith and become effective witnesses to His good news. In this context Catherine Doherty says: "The Good News is God's love for us, and his one great commandment is to love." It is amply clear from today's Gospel what the Holy Spirit should do in us. The Spirit of God should enable us to do what Jesus did: Bring good news to the poor, liberate captives, give sight to the blind, uplift the exploited and proclaim God's grace to everyone. May the Lord Jesus who preached the good news to the poor, proclaimed release to the captives, gave sight to the blind and liberty to the oppressed empower you and bless you to continue His mission in your daily lives. Amen.
(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph, January 26, 2025. Thanks.)
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