Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 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.
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.
No prophet is accepted in his own land
1) The Spirit: God’s work goes beyond our thinking and God works in whomever He chooses. Saint Benedict’s story comes to mind: even the youngest of the community can give an opinion because the Holy Spirit works in those whom we least imagine. We mustn’t allow that which happened to Jesus, happen to us. Sometimes we do not believe because we are prejudiced. You can see beautiful results from the preaching of God’s Word, but since it did not come from you, instead of applauding, you want to kill and destroy it with criticism, gossip, or slander. Our envy can be destructive! God works in anyone, and through anyone; He does not ask for your resumé before He sends His help through the Spirit. Don’t be afraid to show and use your spiritual gifts… if it saves souls then go for it!
2) Proclaim: Many people only have the image of the “No” preaching… where all they remember is that the priest only reprimands, and says “No!” during mass. Today, you and I are invited to proclaim the Lord’s blessings and graces. How many beautiful things life has! That’s what you have to announce: Grace . It’s true that you and I have problems, but life doesn’t end there. There are so many wonderful things… and a Christian is called to show that, with God, life changes. Otherwise, you end up falling into those “old lady” conversations where they only talk about ailments and medications. Focus on God’s Grace !
3) They were furious: it will always be harder to preach among your own people. In your home, among your family, there will be prejudice. If you talk about God in the parish or in different meetings people will even say that you are doing it just to put on a show! They might even seek to throw you out or expel you. Persevere with prayer! You can continue to move forward through prayer; it will lead your escape from all the threats. Receive the sacraments (especially the Eucharist and confession); they will guide you and give you strength. Cheer up! Many will try to bring you down but others will thank you for having changed their lives. Come on, we have to fill up Heaven, because
Heaven is our goal !
God bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit !
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