Photo via Wiki Commons: All Saints, St. Peter's Missouri
“The spirit of the Lord God
is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me… to bring glad tidings to the
poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and
release to the prisoners…” - Isaiah 61:1
Jesus quoted the
above passage when He announced the beginning of His mission in the synagogue
in His hometown of Nazareth. His audience, who knew that Isaiah spoke of the coming
Messiah, expressed doubt when Jesus claimed to fulfill this prophecy, and then
became furious when He spoke of their lack of faith. The whole episode ended
badly, with His countrymen attempting to throw Jesus off a cliff. But Jesus
slipped away from the midst of the crowd and went away (Lk 4:18-30). He would
face death for His people, but His time had not yet come.
What a surprising
reaction to this beautiful, hopeful, and loving prophecy! These people were not
ready to believe that someone who seemed so human, so like them, could be the
all-powerful, all loving God. If they could have only listened and believed,
they would have been the first to receive the amazing blessings that God wanted
to give them.
Jesus, the
anointed one, the promised Messiah, desires to bring healing to His people. This
is the message He brings. He doesn’t come to avenge the sins of the world, but
to take the consequences of sin on His own shoulders. He comes to heal the
brokenhearted, to free us from imprisonment. He knows our hearts, our woundedness,
and our suffering. He knows that sin is the cause and He alone has the cure:
salvation from sin. He wants to wrap us in the robe of salvation and enfold us
in His own Sacred Heart. He has mercy on those who fear Him in every
generation.
Let us be ready
to receive the blessings that Jesus wants to bring us this Advent season. At
Christmas, Jesus comes as a tiny child, innocent and vulnerable, and yet He is
the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He comes as one of us to bring us
hope. Let your hearts rejoice, for the Lord is near! Gaudete!
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