Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It may appear to others who don’t know us so well that we look good on the outside: attractive, well dressed, articulate, friendly families, etc. But we know the truth is that often it is more complicated. Each of us has many problems, manias and jealousies, etc. It is good that we remember our true reality and that is where God can help us.
Luke (1: 1-4, 4: 14-21) also paints a picture of the people glorifying and following Jesus wherever he went, and praising him. But Luke is restrained when he speaks of the mission of Christ and notes that it is the downtrodden that accepts Christ more than the others. The rejection of his hometown people foreshadows his rejection by Israel.
The theme of the Epiphany continues as Christ is more and more revealed to us. Last week we saw how the first miracle was not a cure of blindness or leprosy or a demonic possession, but a miracle to bring joy. That’s what Christ wants to do with us even today. We see this in the quote from Isaiah that he reads in the synagogue. The Messiah will come to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and sight to the blind.
Who are the poor and the downtrodden? The gentiles, the pagans are those who don’t have God, or the Law, or the prophets or virtues. This Spirit given to Christ and to us is not just for the sake of victory but leads you and empowers you to serve, to announce the gospel. This is your mission to lead others to God; the grace of Baptism empowers you to do so.
In the series The Crown on Netflix I like very much the scene where King George goes out shooting ducks with his son-in-law Philip and tells him rather bluntly: your job is not to be a Duke, your job is her, Elizabeth. Your job is to love her, protect her, and guard her. It is the most patriotic act anyone could do. It is a touching moment in the series and Philip gets it. Our job is to bring glad tidings to the poor, the unloved, and the down and out.
It is not by chance that Jesus speaks of the Jubilee Year that happened every fifty years and debts were forgiven, slaves set free, property goes back to its original owners, fields are left fallow. This is what Jesus came to do not just in the Jubilee year but always.
Jesus goes to first to his hometown people but they reject him. Isn’t this the son of Joseph they say? Well, not exactly; he is the son of the Holy Spirit. They reject him and even try to kill him by pushing him off a cliff but he slips through the crowd. Jesus is revealing his mission to us. His first word of preaching is: today! The reading from Isaiah is fulfilled in him, and we are invited that it be fulfilled in us, today!
Ezra reads the Law, probably Leviticus to the people with the help of others for five or six hours. The reading of the Pentateuch was suppose to take place every seven years and somehow this was omitted and the people start to cry when they hear it again. Ezra is a priest and a scribe and has been back to Jerusalem for fourteen years and is rebuilding it by the help of foreigners.
He is probably translating and explaining it to the people. He is the perfect guy to do this. Most of us should be more attentive to the readings at Mass, which is Christ speaking to us. How careful people are with the Eucharist in many places? They don’t want to drop a crumb of the Bread. We should receive the Word with equal care, not to lose the smallest word.
The people see how far they are from where they should be. The reading and the teaching of Ezra convicts them of their sin. They are washed since they are close to the gate of Water and then they celebrate. There is no mourning here. It is a good formula for us: to receive a Word from God, to be cleansed by that Word and then to rejoice in what God is doing for us.
St. Ignatius of Loyola in his first year of conversion spent a lot of time reading the gospels or the lives of saints and reflecting on it. What was God saying to him in those words? It really changed the rest of his life. This was years before he started to study in Paris and eventually start what is now called the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits.
It is good for us to think also of what is God revealing to me in these words, in this celebration? What is he calling you to do? What kind of service is he asking of you? Give it some thought; it could very well change you and bring you more joy.