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.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
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.

He stood up to read

1) According to custom. It’s easy to let life slip into autopilot, but routine can quietly drain our passion. Once we start taking things for granted, the spark begins to fade. We see this in marriage, in priesthood, and even in the hobbies and goals that once excited us. That’s why we need to pay attention to what moves us and keep choosing to stay engaged instead of simply going through the motions. Creativity is essential here, because it helps us rediscover the things we love with fresh eyes.

2) The Spirit. Don’t neglect your spiritual life. Set aside a little time to reflect and care for your inner self, because what we build within eventually shapes how we live outwardly. In those quiet, personal moments, we find the strength to face life’s toughest challenges. Start with one small, practical spiritual habit, whether it’s a few minutes of meditation in the morning or praying a rosary on your commute. Nurture that inner dialogue with God so you’re ready for whatever the world brings.

3) None of these. Let’s be honest, not everyone will like us, and we can’t please everybody. But living authentically matters far more than keeping up appearances. It’s much better to live honestly as who you truly are than to deceive yourself and perform for others. After all, being genuine is a powerful part of sharing the Gospel.

Remember something good is on the way! 

God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.