Lk 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.”
Bishop Barron:
Friends, today’s Gospel recounts Jesus’ inaugural address in his hometown synagogue. Jesus reads words from the prophet Isaiah that he felt best summed up who he was and what his mission was. Therefore it behooves us to listen carefully.
Jesus first says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” The Ruach Yahweh, the breath of God, the Spirit that hovered over the surface of the waters at the beginning of time, the life energy of God—this is what has seized and animated Jesus.
Animated by the Ruach Yahweh, what does Jesus do? He brings “glad tidings to the poor,” “liberty to captives,” and “recovery of sight to the blind.” In other words, he brings God’s love to those who are marginalized by injustice, freedom to those who are imprisoned in sin, and healing to those whose very self has been broken.
After the Paschal Mystery and Resurrection, he breathed on his disciples, communicating to them something of this Spirit—and drawing them into this mission.
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