Welcoming the Holy
Here we invite you to take time for yourself in personal prayer. The following spiritual reflection offers words and images which we hope will evoke for you an experience of God.
By: Sister Joan Cawley
Opening Prayer
God, direct our actions according to Your good pleasure, that in the name of Your beloved Son, we may abound in good works.
Scripture
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 the 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.” Luke 4:16-22
Reflection
Some have called this passage Jesus’ inaugural address. In the power of the Spirit, he emerges from the ordinariness of his life among family and friends with a reading from Isaiah that links his mission to the great tradition of prophecy in Israel. This is the program he pronounces for his ministry.
It is not a program for back then but for here and now in 2025. We who profess to follow Jesus are to bring glad tidings to the poor, liberty to captives, sight to the blind, and so on. The recent California wildfires have given us many ways to reach out to others and let them know of our care and concern. We also have family members, friends, neighbors who are suffering loss, anxiety, or loneliness. A phone call, a note, a visit will bring light into their lives. They will know they have not been forgotten. Doing some outreach helps us to put perspective on our problems. It also gives one a good feeling as we move beyond ourselves and think of others.
Reflect
In what ways can I bring glad tidings to the poor, to the oppressed?