Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 23, 2022
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.”
There’s a particular word that captures my attention as I read this passage. Feel free to reread it and try to guess it if you think that would be fun. I’ll even give you a hint: the word is short, less than four letters.
The answer? I love that the gospel uses the phrase, “went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.”
Many aspects of the gospel can seem intimidating and beyond me. As a teacher, I try to identify with Christ the Teacher, but I would not say my lessons are always “praised by all.” Lessons on the quadratic formula, in particular, are much more likely to be met with groans from students. And although I believe the Spirit of the Lord is with each of us, I do not know how well I have proclaimed liberty to captives or brought glad tidings to the poor.
The end of this gospel passage inspires awe and reverence for the divinity of Jesus and the ordered unraveling of God’s plan. But that one word, his, signals something more distinctly human for me.
I wonder about Jesus’ custom. Did he always walk the same path to the synagogue? Sit in the same area? Go to Panera Bread afterward (or is that just me)? During his earthly ministry, how did Jesus make decisions and prioritize practices which best allowed him to understand, proclaim, and fulfill his call?
Which of my habits fosters an openness to hearing God’s call in my life? What customs do I need to adopt or develop to respond well and live out my vocation?
Today, let us ask for the grace to further align our ways to Christ’s ways. In doing so, may we find greater participation fulfilling the Scripture and making manifest the kingdom of God.
Prayer
Jesus, help us always to remember that you are Lord and Savior. You are the fulfillment of history’s yearning. At the close of this day, we pray that we, too, can “bring good news to the poor.” Guide us to walk with those in pain. And bring us the insight to let go of anything that keeps us captive.
Saint of the Day
St. Marianne Cope, known as St. Marianne of Moloka’i for her work with the lepers of Hawaii, was canonized on Oct. 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI.
Marianne was born in Germany in 1838, and one year after her birth, her family emigrated to Utica, New York. She attended her parish school until eighth grade when her father fell ill and she went to work in a factory to support the family. Her father died in 1862, and, when her siblings were all old enough to help support the family, she left her home to pursue a religious vocation.
Marianne joined an order of Franciscans and spent time educating children of immigrant families. She also helped open two hospitals in the area.
By 1883, Marianne had become Superior General of her order. She received a letter from the King of Hawaii asking for help for those who were quarantined on the leper colony of Moloka’i. The king had asked some fifty other religious organizations for aid and had been declined by all of them.
Marianne accepted the request and took six sisters with her to Hawaii. There, she managed a hospital for victims of leprosy and established another. She cared not only for those with leprosy, but for those impacted by the disease: orphans whose parents had the disease, and clergy who contracted leprosy while working with patients.
She worked tirelessly for these people, even into her old age. Even when Marianne grew old and needed a wheelchair to get around, she still managed to support the lepers there. Despite her many years in close contact with this highly contagious disease, Marianne never contracted leprosy herself. She lived to the ripe old age of eighty, finally passing away in August 1918. Soon after her death, several miracles were attributed to her intercession. St. Marianne Cope is the patron saint of those suffering from leprosy and HIV/AIDS.
St. Marianne Cope, you spent your life caring for the outcast lepers on Moloka’i—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Marianne Cope is in the public domain. Last accessed November 15, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
