Freeing the Oppressed

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate our response to the radical action for love and justice that Christ models for His followers.

Proclaim the Sabbatical Year 

The Reading from the First Letter of John declares Faith is Victory over the World.

* [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 John, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 72 proclaims blessing for the whole world.

* [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. (Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents Jesus' Rejection at Nazareth.

* [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.

* [4:21] Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing: this sermon inaugurates the time of fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Luke presents the ministry of Jesus as fulfilling Old Testament hopes and expectations (Lk 7:22); for Luke, even Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection are done in fulfillment of the scriptures (Lk 24:25–27, 44–46; Acts 3:18). (Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Carol Zuegner considers how to do her part in her own way for those who struggle, whether it’s being kinder to family and friends or doing more to help make the world a better place.

The question I am asking myself is how do I proclaim my own year acceptable to the Lord? What changes do I need to make? What small changes can I make that will build on love and faith and justice? How can I live my life according to the commandment in the first reading: “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” I can make my revisions to my resolutions small: I can start by praying for those I disagree with along with my prayers for those who are struggling. That can help me remember that my brothers and sisters everywhere are loved by God. (Zuegner, 2026)

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.] (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 4:19-5:4 comments that St. John reminds us that God made the first move toward us—and did it out of love. We did not create the idea of God in our imaginations; rather, he created us. He called us into existence and formed us out of love; he knitted us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). And throughout our lives, “the living and true God tirelessly calls each person. . . . God’s initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response” (Catechism, 2567). I love you, Lord, because you first loved me.

God freely offers you his love today. From your very beginning up to now, he has created, nurtured, saved, and drawn you closer to himself—all out of love. He will love you right into heaven as you open your heart to him. Is there any reason not to love him in return?

“I love you, Lord, because you first loved me.” (Meditation on 1 John 4:19-5:4, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the reading from 1 John the author insists love is both vertical ( towards God) and horizontal (towards neighbour). He notes that 1 John asserts that we have to keep the commandments in contrast to the Gospel of John where emphasis is primarily on love for one another. Those who belong to the light will live in the light. Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah. Jesus shows understanding of both Hebrew and Aramaic. Here the Spirit of the Lord anoints the person to bring good tidings of the Lord. He was to proclaim the Sabbatical Year as His Presence brings this radical justice about. The Scriptures are fulfilled in His hearing. Friar Jude notes that Luke leaves out the spirit of vindication, in quoting Isaiah, as Jesus is to bring peace in Luke’s writing.

Father Richard Rohr introduces Minister and theologian Whitney Wilkinson Arreche who compares the Bible that was preached to enslaved Africans with the good news they encountered while worshipping in clandestine hush harbor gatherings.

In the hush harbors, enslaved Africans taught one another a different Bible. They pointed to and created a new reality. Through story-songs, they learned of an Exodus where the liberation of enslaved people was God’s primary concern. As Noel Erskine writes, “Down in the hush arbors, enslaved people … learned early to gather to worship and strategize under the cover of night or under the cover of the woods where a redefinition of their status took place.” [1] Under cover, hidden in plain sight for those with eyes to see, they learned of prophets who called out greed, especially money gained through unjust means. They learned of a Jesus who was very different from that so-called “good” ship [named “Jesus” used in the Transatlantic Slave Trade]; a Jesus who, like his mother, cast down the mighty from their thrones, filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty (Luke 1:46–55). They learned of a fire-in-the-bones Spirit poured out on all flesh, even and especially enslaved flesh (Acts 2:1–21). They learned of a Revelation of all that is wrong being turned upside down, in a flourishing garden not tended by enslaved labor (Revelation 22). This talking book was the antidote to slavery’s prooftexted shouting. (Rohr, 2026)

We implore the Wisdom of the Spirit as we respond to Jesus' radical call to live out our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet and leader to proclaim good news to the poor and set the prisoners of oppression in our society free.

References

Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4?14 

Meditation on 1 John 4:19-5:4. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/01/07/1474941/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/5 

Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/72?1 

Rohr, R. (2026, January 7). Revelation and Transformation — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/revelation-and-transformation/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Zuegner, C. (2026, January 8). Daily Reflection January 8, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-january-8-2026 

Abide in Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to respond to the Love of God with gratitude and affirmation of Love as our Way.

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The Reading from the First Letter of John proclaims God’s Love and Christian Life.

* [4:13–21] The testimony of the Spirit and that of faith join the testimony of love to confirm our knowledge of God. Our love is grounded in the confession of Jesus as the Son of God and the example of God’s love for us. Christian life is founded on the knowledge of God as love and on his continuing presence that relieves us from fear of judgment (1 Jn 4:16–18). What Christ is gives us confidence, even as we live and love in this world. Yet Christian love is not abstract but lived in the concrete manner of love for one another. (1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 72 declares the Israelite king is the instrument of divine justice.

* [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. (Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark proclaims Jesus Walking on the Water.

* [6:45–52] See note on Mt 14:22–33.

* [6:45] To the other side toward Bethsaida: a village at the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

* [6:46] He went off to the mountain to pray: see Mk 1:35–38. In Jn 6:15 Jesus withdrew to evade any involvement in the false messianic hopes of the multitude.

* [6:48] Walking on the sea: see notes on Mt 14:22–33 and on Jn 6:19.

* [6:50] It is I, do not be afraid!: literally, “I am.” This may reflect the divine revelatory formula of Ex 3:14; Is 41:4, 10, 14; 43:1–3, 10, 13. Mark implies the hidden identity of Jesus as Son of God.

* [6:52] They had not understood…the loaves: the revelatory character of this sign and that of the walking on the sea completely escaped the disciples. Their hearts were hardened: in Mk 3:5–6 hardness of heart was attributed to those who did not accept Jesus and plotted his death. Here the same disposition prevents the disciples from comprehending Jesus’ self-revelation through signs; cf. Mk 8:17. (Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Tamora Whitney offers that the words of this song could not be more true now. “What the world needs now is Love, sweet love.” 

God loved us so much he gave us this world, and each other, and his son as savior.  But rather than returning that love too many respond with hate and destruction, greed and selfishness. What the world needs now is love, and from the song, “no, not just for some but for everyone.”

“God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” When we love, God is acting in us and through us. God is love and love is God. We share in that love, and need to share it with the world. (Whitney, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “The wind was against them,” by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD).

"Meanwhile the boat carrying the disciples - that is, the church - is rocking and shaking amid the storms of temptation, while the adverse wind rages on. That is to say, its enemy the devil strives to keep the wind from calming down. But greater is he who is persistent on our behalf, for amid the vicissitudes of our life he gives us confidence. He comes to us and strengthens us, so we are not jostled in the boat and tossed overboard. For although the boat is thrown into disorder, it is still a boat. It alone carries the disciples and receives Christ. It is in danger indeed on the water, but there would be certain death without it. Therefore stay inside the boat and call upon God. When all good advice fails and the rudder is useless and the spread of the sails presents more of a danger than an advantage, when all human help and strength have been abandoned, the only recourse left for the sailors is to cry out to God. Therefore will he who helps those who are sailing to reach port safely, abandon his church and prevent it from arriving in peace and tranquility?" (excerpt from SERMON 75.4) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 4:11-18 invites us to remember, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16). What God gives us may not be what we want at any given moment, but it is always exactly what we need: grace to forgive, wisdom in a tough situation, a helping hand from a friend, or even a prick of our conscience telling us to repent.

Our heavenly Father holds back nothing. He may not always give us a pleasant experience, but he will always give us his Son. He will always work to release us from the grip of sin and to form us into his own image and likeness. He will always give himself to us every day, whether we are aware of his presence or not.

Now that’s a love you can count on!

“Father, I believe in the love you have for me. Help me to live and act out of that assurance today.” (Meditation on 1 John 4:11-18, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments in 1 John we hear a lot about love. It is a choice to die to self to serve another. Jesus sent His Spirit into our hearts. What would we like to hear Jesus say to us? The Evil One contradicts Jesus and Love drives fear out . God is not a Divine Accountant but we trust in the love experience revealed in the death of Jesus. The multiplication of the loaves is based loosely on Psalm 23. Jesus is praying and the disciples witness as He walks on the sea and is ready to “pass them by” in the mode of God passing Moses in a theophany. Friar Jude notes they do not understand the loaves of the walking on seas even as the Israelites saw Jesus calm the sea, considered to be the domain of the violent sea creatures.

Father Richard Rohr describes the Bible as a source of ongoing revelation and transformation. The trouble is that we have made the Bible into a bunch of ideas—about which we can be right or wrong—rather than an invitation to a new set of eyes. Even worse, many of those ideas are the same old, tired ones, mirroring the reward-and-punishment system of the dominant culture, so that most people don’t even expect anything good or new from the momentous revelation that we call the Bible.

But the genius of the biblical revelation is that it doesn’t just give us the conclusions! It gives us both the process of getting there and the inner and outer authority to trust that process. Life itself—and Scripture too—is always three steps forward and two steps backward. It gets the point and then loses it or doubts it. In that, the biblical text mirrors our own human consciousness and journey.

We always need what Jesus described as the beginner’s mind of a curious child. What some call a constantly renewed immediacy is the best path for spiritual wisdom. If our only concerns are for the spiritual status of our group, or our private “social security” plans, the Scriptures will not be new, nor will they be good, or even attractive. We will proceed on cruise control, even after reading them. They will be “religion” as we have come to expect it in our particular culture, but not any genuine “good news” with the power to rearrange everything. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the Wisdom of the Spirit as we contemplate the experience “that God is love“ in our journey and how we respond to conquer fear with love in our environment.

References

Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6?45 

Meditation on 1 John 4:11-18. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/01/07/1474941/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/4?11 

Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/72?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/revelation-and-transformation/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Take Heart, It Is I; Have No Fear. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Whitney, T. (2026, January 7). Daily Reflection January 7, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-january-7-2026