Gospel – Luke 4:14-21

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
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.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Reflection on the Gospel

Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God.

Jesus and the Father – One in the Spirit – Our Model

Jesus took his turn to read in the synagogue and was given a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Using a famous quote, he carefully taught all within earshot what he understood to be his Calling from His Father – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. This continuing Calling in the Spirit defined His life on earth and inspired Him to action with the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed.

This Calling to be one with the Father and the Spirit was from his deepest self; that is, His vocation as the son in the family we call Trinity. It is a powerful challenge to all of us to do likewise. It is the basis of the oneness of our Lasallian Vocation.

Initially felt within us, this call links us with many others as a family – the Lasallian Family. Historically limited to De La Salle Christian Brothers, but since Vatican II, members include women and men of all ages, customs, and religions in a diverse expression of one call. Each vocational response is woven into a seamless garment of association for the Lasallian mission characterized by human development and education. Meeting human needs flows from our Calling as it did for Jesus.

It’s been three hundred years since the passing of De La Salle to eternal life but each of us is still responding to the same Calling that Jesus modeled for us. We only need to proclaim as he did: “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Then we will, with Jesus and Isaiah, proclaim the year 2019 acceptable to the Lord.

Brother Edward Phelan, F.S.C.
Lasallian Community at Bedford Park

Saint John Baptist de La Salle – Pray for us.
Live, Jesus, in our hearts – Forever.