Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1,1-4; 4, 14-21
Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.
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.”
The certainty of Jesus’ teaching
1. Theophilus. It’s interesting how today’s Gospel begins. One can think that Luke is writing to a certain disciple, a friend or a follower, but he is probably writing to you, because he writes his letter to a person named Theophilus. In Latin, “Theo” means God and “Philo” means son. In a way, Luke is writing to everyone who considers himself or herself to be a son or daughter of God. Let me remind you that through the sacrament of Baptism you have become a child of God. Don’t forget that, and that the Sacred Scripture is your inheritance. You must familiarize yourself with the life of Jesus and go deeper into his Word. Perhaps, you could read a chapter of the Gospel a day to know more about Jesus. What do you think?
2. Strength. The Holy Spirit will give you the strength to live your faith; don’t be afraid and don’t worry. Remember you are a pilgrim, and the journey of life is with God at your side. It’s important to communicate fluently with God, as that’s where your strength is, in the intimate relationship you can only have with Him.
3. Announce. We are called to always tell the truth, even if it is hard and hurts us. We’re not looking for followers or to be social media influencers, we seek to reach Heaven and that’s what encourages us to strive every day.
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
