The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invoke trust in the Love of God as the means to make real our actions to strive for Jubilee freedom in our world.
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| Trust Hope and Love for Life |
The reading from the First Letter of John declares that Faith Conquers those opposed to the Way of Jesus.
* [5:1–5] Children of God are identified not only by their love for others (1 Jn 4:7–9) and for God (1 Jn 5:1–2) but by their belief in the divine sonship of Jesus Christ. Faith, the acceptance of Jesus in his true character and the obedience in love to God’s commands (1 Jn 5:3), is the source of the Christian’s power in the world and conquers the world of evil (1 Jn 5:4–5), even as Christ overcame the world (Jn 16:33).1
Psalm 72 declares the Israelite king is the instrument of divine justice and blessing.
* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts.2
The Gospel of Luke places the Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth after His declaration of a Jubilee year at the beginning of the Galilean Ministry.
* [4:18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me: see note on Lk 3:21–22. As this incident develops, Jesus is portrayed as a prophet whose ministry is compared to that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Prophetic anointings are known in first-century Palestinian Judaism from the Qumran literature that speaks of prophets as God’s anointed ones. To bring glad tidings to the poor: more than any other gospel writer Luke is concerned with Jesus’ attitude toward the economically and socially poor (see Lk 6:20, 24; 12:16–21; 14:12–14; 16:19–26; 19:8). At times, the poor in Luke’s gospel are associated with the downtrodden, the oppressed and afflicted, the forgotten and the neglected (Lk 4:18; 6:20–22; 7:22; 14:12–14), and it is they who accept Jesus’ message of salvation.3
Carol Zuegner shares a need to listen and live out the words in the first reading: We must love God and our neighbor, our brother.
I resolve to proclaim my own year acceptable to the Lord. I can start now and keep renewing that promise every day in prayer and actions. In proclaiming my year acceptable to the Lord, I can live out these words in my own way. I can offer my help to the poor, to those people who feel forgotten. I can try to free myself from the captivity of consumerism and always wanting more. I can free myself from the captivity of always being plugged in and multitasking. I can open my eyes and really see the people I am talking to, the people I am spending time with. I can offer prayers and love to those oppressed by fear and tribulations.4
Don Schwager quotes “Christ brings hope of release from spiritual bondage,” by Eusebius of Caesarea, 260/263-340 AD.
"'The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me' (Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1). Clearly this happened to those who thought that the Christ of God was neither a mere man nor an unfleshed and unembodied Word who did not take on a mortal nature. Instead they say he is both God and human, God in that he is the only-begotten God who was in the bosom of the Father, and man... from the seed of David according to the flesh (Luke 1:32). Thus, God the Word, who through the prophecy has been called Lord, speaks out this prophecy that is preeminent among other promises: 'I am the Lord, and in the right time I will draw them together'..."Taking the chrism in the Holy Spirit, he, chosen from among all, appears as the only-begotten Christ of God. And the verse 'he has sent me to proclaim good news to the poor' (Luke 4:18), he fulfilled in that time when he 'was preaching the kingdom of heaven' and explaining the beatitudes to the disciples by saying, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God' (Matthew 5:3)... And for those nations then imprisoned in their souls by the invisible and spiritual powers he preached release to his newly encouraged disciples... Therefore, he preached release to the prisoners and to those suffering from blindness who were those enslaved by the error of polytheism, and he creates a year that is acceptable, through which he made all time his own year. And from the passing years of humanity he provides days of created light for those close to him. He never kept hidden the age that is to come after the perfecting of the present. For that age will be a time much on the Lord's mind, being an age and day of requiting. For he will grant a change of fortune or a year of favor to those struggling in the present life." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 2.51.5)
[Eusebius of Caesarea (260/263-340) was a bishop, Scripture scholar and first historian of the Christian church.]5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 4:14-22 comments that everyone who has been baptized into Christ has received his Holy Spirit. Whether you feel like it or not—indeed, whether your experience tells you so or not—the Holy Spirit is upon you!
This idea of “sensing” the Spirit can sound out of reach, but it’s really quite simple. He is that still, small voice in the back of your mind urging you to forgive your coworker for what she said about you. He’s the tap on your shoulder pointing out a neighbor who seems lonely. He’s the quick catch in your throat that arises when you are about to say something inappropriate or hurtful. Every time you follow one of these gentle prods, you are laying another foundation stone for the kingdom. Not only that, but every time you do this, you are building a stronger foundation for your own life—a foundation of peace and confidence in the Spirit who lives in you.6
Friar Jude Winkler describes the horizontal and vertical dimensions of our Faith as he contrasts the sense of commandments in the Letter of John and in John’s Gospel. Jesus reading of Hebrew is in addition to His use of Aramaic and a smattering of Greek. Friar Jude reminds us of the sometimes “Pollyanna” theme in the writing of Luke.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, urges that silence needs to be understood in a larger way than simply a lack of audible noise. Whenever emptiness—what seems like empty space or absence of sound—becomes its own kind of fullness with its own kind of sweet voice, we have just experienced sacred silence.
When religious folks limit their focus in prayer to external technique and formula, the soul remains largely untouched and unchanged. Too much emphasis on what I call “social prayer” or wordy prayer feeds our egos and gives us far too much to argue about. That is surely why Jesus emphasized quiet prayer in one’s own “inner room” and warned us not to “babble on as the pagans do” (Matthew 6:5-7). Oh, the years we Catholics and others have wasted arguing about liturgy in a juridical way! For me, law and liturgy are two different realms. How can we truly pray when we are preoccupied with formula and perfection of technique?
If we can see silence as the ground of all words and the birth of all words, then when we speak, our words will be calmer and well-chosen. Our thoughts will be non-judgmental. Our actions will have greater integrity and impact.7
The silence of the crash scene for Flight PS752 raises the question of “Where was God in this tragedy?” We are certain that God was with the people on board the plane in their moments of distress. We are grieving deeply with the families and friends of those killed and with the nation of Canada that has received an extreme blow to Hope.
At the end of the day, yesterday, it became clear that many of the 176 people killed in the crash of Flight PS752 were beacons of hope for Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau said that 138 of the passengers on the jet were connecting to Canada. The stories of the lives of these people reveals many who were working to make life better for Canadians at this time of their lives. The death of these people is a blow to Hope. The last great blow to Hope for Canada occurred at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6, 1989 with the murder of fourteen female engineering students. The deaths yesterday stuck down creative and caring people who build society. The loss of loved ones is endured through the experience of grief. When Hope is damaged, grief seeks meaning which is often impossible to find. We pray for Peace for those in deep sorrow as grieve with them and ponder a deep loss to the whole nation.
As Fr Richard recommends regular practice of contemplation helps us trust that silence will uphold us, receive our mistakes, and give us the courage to learn and grow.
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