January 10
To stand up and announce
Jesus …. in the power of the Spirit, …. went …. 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.” 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?” Lk 4,14-22
We are in the Nazareth synagogue, where, especially by the Saturday, the elders, the priests, the doctors of the law and all the nobility of the Judaic religion were used to stay. Jesus has been recently baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit has descended over him and after he has driven him in the desert, where for forty days he has been tempted by the devil ( Lk 4,1-12). After having overcome the temptations of the glory, of the power and of the wealth, he is ready for his earth mission and today he enters in the synagogue of his town. When they sit down waiting for the proclamation of the word of God, Jesus, driven by the Holy Spirit, stands up to read. One of the present persons, pushed by the Holy Spirit, gives him the “roll of Isaiah”. Jesus analyzes it quickly with his eyes and he finds the passage which officially consecrates him as the Christ, the one expected since long time. “The Spirit of the Lord is over me; due to this I was consecrated by the unction and he has sent me to bring the merry novel to the poor people, to proclaim the liberation to the imprisoned persons and the sight to the blind people; to restore in freedom the oppressed countries, to proclaim the year of grace of the Lord”. Then, he announces personally the meaning of that moment:”Today this Scripture which you have heard took place”. After this incipit it would seem that his mission would have been positively welcomed, but it was not in this way. The present people, in fact, denounce immediately the main reason because of which he will be always misunderstood and persecuted: “Is he not the son of Joseph?”. They do not accept his divinity in the normality. However, Jesus today gives us a great testimony: the apostolic courage of standing up and of speaking in name of God. It is the prophetic spirit which has been resumed by the last popes and which is highly needed by the mankind. Help us, Lord, to raise up to proclaim our faith and to support our Christian values.