We are already celebrating the third Sunday in ordinary time. As you know, time goes by very quickly and we need to move forward with time in our mission. Jesus, the Christ, the anointed one, knew his mission and was truly faithful to it, even giving his own life to fulfill it in obedience to God the Father. As Jesus, we were anointed in our baptism and we have been sent to proclaim the Good News.
Today we heard in the Gospel that Jesus stood before the people in the synagogue of his hometown, Nazareth, reading and interpreting what Isaiah had prophesied about the Messiah and his mission. Jesus claims that he is the One sent “…to bring glad tidings to the poor… liberty to captives… recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free…”.
His message is hope and salvation for us. To the great amazement and disbelief of his own townsmen, Jesus declares that Isaiah’s prophecy is being fulfilled at that very moment “in your hearing,” because the prophecy foretells and describes Jesus’ own mission and ministry. Jesus’ mission is still to give liberation to everyone who will listen to his “Good News,” accept it and put it into practice.
In this critical time of pandemic, we need to receive Christ’s message of hope, to trust in his power and to truly believe that He is with us, and his Mercy is being revealed to all, especially when we most need it. We need to accept this message with faith, live it and pass it on to others. In continuing Jesus’ ministry we are assuming the mission we received in our baptismal anointing when we were consecrated as prophets, priests, and kings.
As members of Christ’s Mystical Body, we must recognize that we need to be free of this pandemic and also the spiritual pandemic of sin which is worse. The coronavirus attacks our bodies but “sin” attacks our soul and could destroy us forever. We need Christ to set us free. We are often blinded by our evil habits, addictions and desire for financial security. Once we receive true liberation by Christ, we have to share it with those we encounter in our daily lives, families, neighborhoods, parishes and workplaces.
How are we sharing Christ’s message? How are we fulfilling our mission as anointed people of God? Are you really open to the power of the Spirit of God to lead you and to work great deeds through you? Let us ask the Lord this Sunday to renew his Spirit in us and to make us useful in the mission of the Gospel.
May the Lord bless us all and may the Blessed Mother protect us