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Dear Preachers:
Is
knowing and observing laws the heart of religious practice? We might draw that
conclusion from our first reading from the prophet Nehemiah. He describes the
priest Ezra standing from early morning until midday, reading aloud the law –
the Torah of Moses – before the assembled men, women, and “those children old
enough to understand.” The people responded to Ezra’s public reading with,
“Amen, amen,” and then bowed and prostrated themselves to the ground.
Ezra
not only read from the book of the law but also interpreted it for them. This
was followed by instruction from Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites. But this was
no ordinary religious exercise. The people celebrating the Torah had just
returned from exile in Babylon. What lay before them was a destroyed Jerusalem,
including its essential structure: the Temple.
It must have seemed that God had abandoned them, letting them be taken into
exile, only to return to the destruction of their former lives. How could their
leaders now tell them that this day was “holy” to the Lord their God and say,
“Do not be sad and do not weep”? The people were not weeping because of the
awful exile, or the destruction around them, but because “they heard the words
of the law.” Then they were instructed to feast and not be sad. Why? “Rejoicing
in the Lord must be your strength.”
Does all this make sense? After a terrible period of suffering in a foreign
land, then returning to find their homeland in ruins, the people gathered to
hear the Word of God and were then told to have a party and “rejoice in the
Lord.” They gathered at the Water Gate, a public square where everyone could
assemble. Notice how often “all the people” is mentioned in the text. They were
unified as they listened to the Word of God. People were not separated by social
standing, importance in the worshiping community, seniority, or wealth.
First of all, they gathered not to be taught by the religious leaders, but to
listen and celebrate God’s Word. Upon hearing it, they were moved to express awe
and wonder over their God. We preachers want to interpret God’s Word for our
hearers – an important responsibility. But the reading highlights the importance
of the Scriptures in worship. How carefully do we prepare the readings? How
well-trained are our lectors? Do we encourage small group prayer and study of
the Scriptures, or individual scriptural reading? Note the Psalm chosen as a
response to today’s Nehemiah passage: “Your words, Lord, are spirit and life.”
Perhaps we might use Psalm 19 for our prayer this week.
Today, we have the opening lines of Luke’s gospel, followed by his narration of
Jesus’ return to Nazareth. Luke begins his gospel addressing Theophilus. The
respect he accords this man suggests Theophilus was a patron, perhaps
responsible for publishing the gospel (Acts 1:1). The author admits he was not
an eyewitness to the events he narrates. Eyewitnesses handed down the tradition
to Luke, and now he is handing it on to Theophilus. It’s what we preachers do
and also what we who hear God’s Word do: we pass on the good news we have heard
to those who need to hear it.
In our gospel, Jesus is standing before the congregation in Capernaum. In a
parallel with Ezra’s proclamation of God’s Word, Jesus reads from the
scriptures. He chooses a passage from the prophet Isaiah which speaks of God’s
anointed servant. In effect, he is using the Isaiah prophecy to identify himself
and his mission.
The passage does not voice God’s anger at the people’s sins, or betrayals of the
covenant. There is no mention of wrath, vengeance, or destruction. Nor does it
mention the axe about to chop down the tree at its roots, as John the Baptist
proclaimed. Instead, Jesus announces his messianic mission as only good news for
the poor and freedom for the oppressed. He ends with, “Today this Scripture
passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
You may notice that Luke is the only Gospel writer who uses the word “TODAY” in
describing this event. This Gospel is very present-tense oriented. Remember: the
angel’s announcement about “today” a savior is born; to Zacchaeus, Jesus says,
“today” salvation has come to his house; and to the thief beside him on the
cross, Jesus says that “today” he will be with Jesus in Paradise. The “today” of
Jesus is not only the day he was speaking. It is our “today” as well. Each time
we hear the Word of God proclaimed before our assembly, what it is saying is
fulfilled in our presence. So: today things are being fulfilled in our lives;
today, we can expect God’s response to us in some manner; today, justice and
mercy are being made available to the world. Let’s hope we have something to do
with this vision.
There is a tendency when we listen to Scripture to hear it as a directive to go
and do the same. Yes, but… before we can follow what it calls for, Jesus’ words
tell us that we have been set free. The good news is meant for us, and we are to
receive it and hold it as our own. We have been touched and transformed by God’s
creative Word. We are the recipients of God’s wonderful gifts, the light that
dispels darkness, and the liberty that has freed us from the burden of sin.
Just as Ezra did in our first reading, Jesus reads from Scripture and announces
that the forces which have robbed people of full life – captivity, blindness,
oppression, and indebtedness – are now going to be overcome. Christ, “in the
power of the Spirit,” proclaims a jubilee year when all debts and burdens are
dissolved. Now, we are empowered by God’s Word to go and do the same for others.
The poverty of the world around us is not the will of the Spirit. Christ, acting
in that Spirit, releases us from whatever holds us captive and challenges us to
look beyond our immediate concerns to the places of oppression and poverty
around us. We stand with him, in the power of the Spirit, to speak and act
against all forms of injustice and oppression.
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012625.cfm
QUOTABLE
We seem
to operate on the assumption that since everyone can read, anyone can read
publicly. We regard public reading as little more than the semiautomatic
translation of visual symbols into vocal symbols, forgetting that those visual
symbols have to pass through mind and heart and be shaped by them if the spoken
word is to communicate the emotional color and intellectual content that the
author tried to capture and disseminate through the written word.
William Skudlarek, “The Word in Worship.” Nashville: Abingdon, 1981.
JUSTICE BULLETIN
BOARD
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”
Luke 4:18
Have
you ever opened a Bible and read a scripture passage that spoke directly to you?
It is as if the living Word of God reached out through the letters and words and
grabbed you by your very being. I am sure that many of you have found this to be
true. So, you can imagine how Jesus felt when he read these words. Having God’s
Spirit upon us is not just the domain of a few rare individuals. The passage
goes on to state how the Spirit is at work—bringing glad tidings to the poor,
proclaiming liberty to captives, recovery of sight, freedom for the oppressed.
The questions then become how do I express the Spirit of the Lord in my life;
how do I live a life of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society?
We can do it by studying and living the social teachings of our faith, teachings
that are based on the life of Jesus. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me when. . .
. . . I believe that every person is precious, that people are more important
than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens
or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
. . . I believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society,
seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and
vulnerable.
. . . corresponding to these rights, I accept duties and responsibilities—to one
another, to my family, and to the larger society.
. . . I believe a basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are
faring.
. . . I believe the economy must serve people, not the other way around. If the
dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be
respected.
. . . I believe we are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic,
economic, and ideological differences. The Gospel and our love for all our
sisters and brothers require us to promote peace in a world surrounded by
conflict.
. . . care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan; Catholic teaching
states that this is a requirement of our faith.
( This summary is drawn from Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and
Directions (Pub.#7-085) and Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political
Responsibility 2003)
Absorb the Word and let the Spirit work through you.
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS,
Director
Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice
Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral,
Raleigh, NC
FAITH BOOK
Mini-reflections on the Sunday
scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also
brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.
From today’s Gospel reading:
Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the passage
where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me....
God has sent me to proclaim....a year acceptable to the Lord.
Reflection:
Jesus
tells his hearers, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
Luke is reminding us we don't have to wait for some future time and place for
God to come to set us free, it is happening "Today." The One anointed with the
Spirit enables us now to be in right relationship with God and one another.
So, we ask ourselves:
-
Where in my life do I not feel free from fear, guilt, the past, etc?
-
In
faith, can I embrace the truth of Christ’s words for me today: he has come
to proclaim liberty?
POSTCARDS TO
DEATH ROW INMATES
“One
has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman
measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out."
---Pope
Francis
Inmates
on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am
posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to
write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not
forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or, whatever personal
encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might
consider becoming pen pals.
Please write to:
-
Terry Robinson #0349019 (On death row since 4/10/2000)
-
Mark Squires #0688223 (5/17/2000)
-
Paul Brown #0051026 (8/11/2000)
----Central
Prison, P.O. 247, Phoenix, MD 21131
Please
note: Central Prison is in Raleigh, NC., but for security
purposes, mail to inmates is processed through a clearing house at the above
address in Maryland.
For
more information on the Catholic position on the death penalty go to the
Catholic Mobilizing Network:
http://catholicsmobilizing.org/resources/cacp/
On this
page you can sign “The National Catholic Pledge to End the Death Penalty.” Also,
check the interfaith page for People of Faith Against the Death Penalty:
http://www.pfadp.org/
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