First reading 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
The only knowledge I claimed was of the crucified Christ
When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.
Responsorial Psalm 118(119):97-102
Gospel Luke 4:16-30
‘This text is being fulfilled today, even as you listen’
Jesus came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives
and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’
But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me the saying, “Physician, heal yourself” and tell me, “We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own countryside.”’
And he went on, ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.
‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’
When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away.
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The Good News of God’s love
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus began his ministry by quoting the words of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to bring good news to the poor, freedom to the captives, sight to the blind, and liberation for the oppressed, announcing the Lord’s favour.” These words define Jesus’ task entrusted to Him by God His Father: to establish God’s reign of justice and compassion for the marginalised and forgotten in society. For Jesus, the Good News of God’s love is meant for everyone.
Today, our mission is to bring good news by embodying Christ’s love, especially to those on the margins. They most need to know that God sees them and loves them. We are called to restore hope and proclaim peace, not only in words but through genuine, consistent presence. By walking alongside others, serving with compassion, and listening with care, we make God’s love tangible and allow the Good News to be truly experienced.
Reflective question:
Who is God inviting me to bring the Good News of His love to?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
