Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 431

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.

Following the cinematic events of Saint Luke's first three chapters when we heard of the birth of Saint John the Baptist and of Jesus, and then their encounter in the Jordan River when John baptized Jesus, and finally Jesus conversation with Satan in the wilderness -- after those several wonderful stories we might miss the drama of Jesus's homecoming in Nazareth. 

But Saint Luke spells it out for us: 

1. "He stood up to read 

2. and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. 

3. He unrolled the scroll 

4. and found the passage....

And then, after a powerful reading of Isaiah 

5. Rolling up the scroll,

6. he handed it back to the attendant

7. and sat down,

8. and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.

9. He said to them,"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

The passage from Isaiah described the mission, work, and identity of Jesus.  Later passages in the same prophetic work would describe his death, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement in heaven. The Lord could read these words with great passion for he alone knew what they meant. But when he read them to his family, friends, and fellow citizens of Nazareth, they also knew what they meant. 

And gave him a mixed reception. Some were overwhelmed with delight. They spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They were like the family and neighbors of John the Baptist who told everyone in Jerusalem about his birth of an old woman and Zechariah's prophetic words. They were also like the shepherds who told everyone about the angelic choir which heralded the birth of Jesus. The Nazarenes were amazed at Jesus's presence of mind and his confidence as he proclaimed the words of Isaiah. This fellow had authority like no one they'd ever met or heard of!

But, inevitably, there was a second reaction of skepticism. "Now wait just a minute! Are you saying...? Just what are you saying? This can't be happening in Nazareth. Can anything good come out of Nazareth. Isn't the Messiah supposed to appear in Jerusalem? In the temple? And, Jesus? Sure he's a fine fellow! And Joseph, God rest his soul, was an excellent man. And his mother, a fine woman. But.... I don't think so!"

It wasn't long before their skepticism became violent. This Good News is entirely too new. This is neither the time nor the place. And neither we nor the world nor distant Jerusalem is ready for a Messiah out of Nazareth. 

Neither those who welcomed the Word nor those who rejected it could imagine that both of their reactions were right. The faithful would always be delighted at the Gospel, and the world would always react with skepticism leading to violence. To this day we hear stories of miraculous courage on the part of many Christians and Catholics, and appalling violence from the enemies of God. 

On this Labor Day, as summer comes to an end and we prepare for the doldrums of the darker months, we hope the Lord infuses us with the same enthusiasm that welcomed the Lord's proclamation of Isaiah. We shudder at the Lord's curse upon the uninspired and disinterested: 

...because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Rev 3:16)

The first Monday of September is a new day, a new beginning, and a blessed opportunity to witness God's mighty works in our world and in our hearts. Let's miss none of that.