When reading the gospel texts, we may be faced with… a temptation – the temptation to believe that all this happened in the past and does not apply to us.
We see the people and the situations presented to us and we consider all this as history instead of… revelation.
Yet, Jesus has said clearly:
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
This means that we can rely with complete trust when we read his words: they are meant for us today.
In today’s gospel text (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21), we see Jesus preaching in the synagogue of Nazareth and he makes his own the words of the prophet Isaiah spoken long before (Isaiah 61:1).
Jesus repeats the promise:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim liberty to captives”.
There are different kinds of captivity – not all forms of captivity are related to a prison building.
As we have recently started a new year, we surely want to live the weeks and months ahead as free people.
But there may be, in our lives, some areas that are not fully free from… bondage.
– There may be some hidden compulsion which masters our reactions to some situations…
– There could be some guilt feelings that remain and prevent us from making certain decisions…
– Some will experience bitterness and lingering anger due to a broken relationship…
– Others will know feelings of inadequacy after repeated failure in their professional life…
– There could be some persistent fears that cripple our initiatives and deep anxiety about the future…
– There are perhaps some forms of addiction to different substances that paralyze our day-to-day living…
We are all in need of liberation – different aspects of our lives need to be made free.
The gospel text mentioned above ends with Jesus’ words:
“This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen”.
So, today is a good moment to ask the Lord to free us as God meant us to be!
He has promised: “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/3e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2025/
The scene takes place in the synagogue of Nazareth on a Sabbath day. It is the time to read a passage of the sacred text. As any adult man can do, Jesus takes the scroll and starts reading a text from the prophet Isaiah (Is.61:1-2). Today’s gospel (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21) tells us that “All eyes were fixed on him”. Jesus read the first verse, and the second… What followed was … unexpected, unforeseen, in fact, quite shocking!