REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 01/06/22 (Thursday After Epiphany)

Luke 4:18-19, 21

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

21 And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." 

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

Blessed Thursday after the Epiphany! In our gospel reading, Jesus came to Nazareth where He was given a scroll of the prophet Isaiah about the coming of the Messiah, the Savior who would preach the gospel. The Holy Spirit was clearly with Jesus, and He said that the Scripture was fulfilled. The handing down of the Scroll was not coincidence. Rather, it was part of Divine Providence. At the same time, what was also fulfilled was the hope of sinners who were awaiting for the salvation from Jesus. God has a message that He wants to be fulfilled in us, and He desires that we discover it by reflecting on the Scriptures. 

Jesus came to preach the gospel and save the poor, the blind, the oppressed and the captives. He is looking for people who are willing to accept the good news of salvation with humility. But, do we really ponder on the Scriptures? If yes, do we do it with humility? For some, they do not feel the need to read the Scriptures because they think they don't need God to tell them what to do. Unfortunately, they do not see that this is a form of spiritual blindness as wellbecause they do not see their sins. For others, they may read the Scriptures for the sake of satisfying their curiosities. But, they do not see this as an opportunity to know their sins and please the Lord. Rather, they may just boast on their virtues and biblical knowledge. We cannot obtain the Infinite Mercy and Goodness of God if we are not willing to acknowledge our nothingness and sinfulness. 

Jesus is calling us to know His will by pondering upon His Word with humility. Our Lord will grant us the grace to bear fruit in our prayers by being able to praise Him as we reflect on His Word. We can see clearly His goodness and greatness because of His Merciful Love for us even though we are sinners. He will grant us His light, so we can avoid committing sins and do what pleases Him. In this way, we can truly dedicate our lives to Him by imitating His virtues. May we always pray tfor the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we spend time in our bible meditation.

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic