BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (# 9)
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – January 25, 2004
“Fulfilled in Your Hearing"
BIBLE READINGS
Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 // I Cor 12:12-30 // Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Following a one-year sabbatical at Santa Clara University, California where I enrolled in some courses at the Pastoral Ministry Program, I returned to the Philippines in 1996. Soon after that, I was invited to be a speaker at the Clergy Day of the Antipolo Diocese where I belong. I presented to the priests, including our Bishop, some insights on the Word of God proclaimed in the liturgy and encouraged them to read an important pastoral document, “Fulfilled in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly” (Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference 1982). I was awed by the interest shown by the Antipolo clergy with regards to that document. The Diocesan Committee on the Priestly Formation made sure that each of the priests would have a copy of that document. I sensed in those priests the desire to be truly ministers of the Word and be vital instruments of the fulfillment of God’s “day of salvation”. Through their prophetic ministry, they desired to replicate the saving event in the synagogue of Nazareth, when Jesus proclaimed to the assembly of worshippers, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21).
This Gospel reading proclaimed in today’s Sunday assembly is a composite of passages taken from the evangelist Luke: the preface to his Gospel narrative (Lk 1:1-4), the summary description of Jesus’ initial ministry in Galilee (Lk 4:14-14), and Jesus’ participation at the synagogue in his hometown, Nazareth (Lk 4: 15-21). The inclusion of his preface in today’s reading is propitious because it tells us how the evangelist Luke conceived his mission of writing the Gospel. Luke writes an orderly and theological account of events that have been fulfilled by God for human salvation and addresses it to certain “Theophilus”, who represents all those who need encouragement in faith then and now. Although Luke, unlike Mark, does not call his work “gospel”, his intent is the same: to elicit faith and to lead his readers to commit themselves in a free response to Christ.
The next part of this Sunday’s Gospel passage is an anticipatory description of Jesus’ Galilean ministry: “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” (Lk 4:14-15). Luke underlines the energizing principle of Jesus’ public ministry on behalf of God’s saving plan: “the power of the Spirit”. Jesus proclaimed the coming of God’s kingdom through the power of the Spirit who anointed him for his messianic mission at his baptism in the Jordan. The initial ministry of Jesus “in Galilee” had a theological significance for Luke. According to the biblical scholar, Robert Karris: “Galilee is the territory where Luke begins his description of the meaning of God’s kingdom … Galilee is also the place where Jesus gathers witnesses to his ministry. Finally, Galilee is the site where the disciples do not comprehend Jesus’ person and mission, but marvel at his mighty deeds and vie among themselves about who is the greatest. Once their eyes have been opened by Jesus as he journeys to the cross (Lk 9:51-19:27) and by the crucified and risen Jesus (Lk 24:45), they will comprehend Jesus’ role in God’s plan and will not go back to Galilee. Their journey will be from Jerusalem to all the nations.”
Today’s Gospel passage then tells us that Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and participated in the liturgy. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him and unrolling the scroll, solemnly proclaimed the messianic prophecy: “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” (Lk 4:18-19). This passage is an excellent summary of the messianic work of Jesus, “the anointed” of the Spirit. The exegete, Eugene Maly remarks: “The works that Jesus would do in his earthly life and in his death and resurrection are precisely those mentioned in the Isaian text. Good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed – these are signs of the messianic age, of the jubilee year in its fullness.”
The Gospel passage concludes with Jesus returning to his place and with the eyes of all in the synagogue looking intently on him, he solemnly proclaimed: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21). This was an astounding revelation and a challenging moment of truth. Jesus of Nazareth declared himself as the long-awaited Messiah and the fulfillment of the messianic yearning through the ages. He radically avowed that the moment of salvation was already being achieved in his person. Moreover, the “today” of salvation that he was inaugurating was transcending. According to Robert Karris: “The reference is to the present today of the time of fulfillment. The adult Jesus’ first words in Luke deal with the theme of God’s fidelity to promises.” Indeed, the inaugural “today” of Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth continued to unfold in his public ministry until his death, resurrection and glorification when it would become for us the eternal “today” of salvation. The continuous saving presence of the Risen Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit enables his divine Word of salvation to be present to us through time and space.
The Gospel passage of today’s liturgy abruptly ends with Jesus’ declaration of the fulfillment of the Scripture passage in their very hearing. Eugene Maly reflects: “Perhaps the Church deliberately ended the reading here, not continuing with Luke’s report of the people’s reaction. Perhaps she ends it with this bold statement of Jesus to let us hear the fullness of the Word and express our own reaction, not influenced by that of others. What will it be? Rejection and continuing in the same rut? Or acceptance and change? It must be one or the other; that’s the nature of the Word.”
When we listen to the Gospel according to St. Luke, do we respond with love and faith to the proclamation of Christ and the saving events that bring to fulfillment God’s plan of salvation?
Do we believe that the messianic ministry of Jesus is sustained by the creative and renewing power of the Holy Spirit who anointed him? If so, how does this realization affect us?
How does the following messianic declaration of Jesus bear on our prophetic vocation as baptized and confirmed Christians: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21)? How do we respond to the task and challenge to actualize the “today” of salvation?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Lord Jesus,
after being anointed by the Spirit at the river Jordan,
you proclaimed the Good News of salvation
in the power of the Holy Spirit
and taught the words of life throughout the synagogues of Galilee.
At the synagogue in Nazareth,
you identified yourself as the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy
written in the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
We believe that you are “the anointed” of the Spirit
to bring good news to the poor;
the one sent to proclaim liberty to the captives
and give sight to the blind;
the liberator of the captives and the oppressed;
and the inaugurator of the “today” of salvation then and now.
Through your prophetic and paschal ministry,
the messianic prophecy is fulfilled in our hearing
and in the daily events of our “today”.
Consecrate us anew
and let your creative and all-powerful Word heal and transform us
that we may become docile and efficacious instruments
of the fulfillment of the “today” of salvation.
By our lives of charity and ministry to the poor,
mould us into limpid witnesses
and proclaimers of your saving Word.
We love you, serve you,
and give ourselves totally to you
for you are our Divine Master and Lord forever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk 4:21)
ACTION PLAN: Create an arena of quiet and silence in your heart. Then imagine that you are in the synagogue of Nazareth for the liturgy of the Word with Jesus. When Jesus takes up the scroll of Isaiah and reads the prophetic messianic text, focus your attention on his very person. When you hear him solemnly proclaiming: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing”, declare resolutely your “Amen”.
ACTION PLAN: Pray for all Christians that they may carry out with joy their prophetic ministry to proclaim the Good News. Offer special prayers for all those commissioned in the Christian community to be ministers of the Word, e.g. homilists, lectors, etc.
Prepared by: Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang, PDDM