In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
I will sing of your salvation.
1. Let us open our hearts to receive God’s Word
Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying:
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went his way. (Lk 4:21-30)
i. He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb …
He could have stayed silent
adding neither proverb nor observation,
just basking in unprecedented success.
But he’s the one who came to give light to the blind,
and no doctor heals a wound without uncovering it.
He prefers that the crowd that’s praising him
turns into one that to hurl him down
than keeping them blind.
Reflect:
- Which words of Jesus do you find challenging?
ii. a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon … Naaman the Syrian
In the same gesture of uncovering the wound
Jesus starts offering the cure:
to those who are full of themselves,
to those who build their identity upon a sense of superiority over “others”,
Jesus reminds them of their forgotten stories:
that of the humble widow visited by the prophet of God
that of a “foreigner” who was healed.
A shocking invitation to keep the door ajar:
to recognize they are also people in need
to appreciate the goodness that comes through the “other”!
Reflect:
- What does it mean for you to keep the door ajar?
iii. Jesus passed through the midst of them and went his away.
We still carry that inclination!
to kill the voice of truth
to throw away those whom we decide to be “foreigners”
to kill the one coming from God.
But he still carries that power!
of going through our midst
and keeps going
enabling us not to get stuck:
those who accept to be his disciples
also keep going
eyes wide open in the dark
while giving sight to the blind
opening new paths where we only see dead ends.
Reflect:
- Where are you experiencing discouragement? How does Jesus’ subversive act inspire you?
3. Our Father