Christ is like a river. A river is continually flowing, there are fresh supplies of water coming from the
fountain-head continually so that we may live by it, and be supplied with water all through life. So Christ is an ever-flowing fountain; he is continually supplying his people, and the fountain is not spent. They who live upon Christ, may have fresh supplies from him to all eternity; they may have an increase of blessedness that is new, and new still, and which never will come to an end.
- Jonathan Edwards, Works: Seventeen Occasional Sermons
(Christ our Life: how are you being renewed by him these days?)
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1 JN 4:19–5:4; PS 72:1-2, 14 AND 15BC, 17
LK 4:14-22
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.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
Reflection on the Scriptures |
Today’s Gospel reminds me of those resolutions as Jesus goes to the synagogue and proclaims a year acceptable to the Lord. What he reads also calls for bringing glad tidings to the poor, to bring liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and to let the oppressed go free.
I resolve to proclaim my own year acceptable to the Lord. I can start now and keep renewing that promise every day in prayer and actions. In proclaiming my year acceptable to the Lord, I can live out these words in my own way. I can offer my help to the poor, to those people who feel forgotten. I can try to free myself from the captivity of consumerism and always wanting more.
I can free myself from the captivity of always being plugged in and multitasking. I can open my eyes and really see the people I am talking to, the people I am spending time with. I can offer prayers and love to those oppressed by fear and tribulations.
And in my own year acceptable to the Lord, I need to listen and live out to the words in the first reading: We must love God and our neighbor, our brother. We need to see God in all of our brothers and neighbors. In my year acceptable to the Lord, I will pray for the compassion and strength to do that every day. The Gospel tells us that Jesus returned in the power of the Holy
Spirit. I pray that I open my heart and mind to the power of the Holy Spirit in the world.
- by Carol Zuegner
Revelations of Divine Love
- by Julian of Norwich
Sixteenth Revelation, Chapter 67
He said not: "Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be afflicted, thou shalt not be overcome."
THIS was a delectable Sight and a restful Shewing, that it is so without end. The beholding of this while we are here is full pleasing to God and full great profit to us; and the soul that thus beholdeth, it maketh it like to Him that is beheld, and oneth it in rest and peace by His grace. And this was a singular joy and bliss to me that I saw Him sitting: for the [quiet] secureness of sitting sheweth endless dwelling.
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