April 1, 2010
Holy Thursday
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn; To place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the LORD to show his glory. Isaiah 61:1-3
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." Luke 4:20-21
Piety
Father, you have baptized and confirmed all of us as priests, prophets and kings. Help us to carry on the spirit of Isaiah and Jesus as we support each other in a shared ministry of active love for the lowly, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, and those who mourn. Holy Spirit, bless our work and the various ministries of God which we endeavor to carry out. Amen.
Study
As today’s Gospel inaugurates Jesus’ public ministry, the scene in the reading also foreshadows so much of what is to come as we enter the Triduum. The notes in the New American Bible related to this reading explain, “Luke turns the initial admiration and subsequent rejection of Jesus into a foreshadowing of the whole future ministry of Jesus. Moreover, the rejection of Jesus in his own hometown hints at the greater rejection of him by Israel.”
What would cause such rejection? Perhaps there is a hint in what is left out of the Gospel from Isaiah’s initial prophecy. More than in any other Gospel, Luke was concerned about Jesus’ ministry and the effect it would have on people who were economically and spiritually poor. What is wrong with that? What is missing?
“…a day of vindication by our God.” The people of Israel were awaiting a Lord who would deliver them from their oppressors. They wanted God to enact the human vengeance upon their enemies. However, Jesus marked the beginning of his public ministry by leaving out any hint at vindication.
The notes in the NAB remind us that this sermon inaugurates the time of fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. “Luke presents the ministry of Jesus as fulfilling Old Testament hopes and expectations; for Luke, even Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection are done in fulfillment of the scriptures.” However, the expectation of vengeance will not be fulfilled as we will learn over the course of events we commemorate this week.
Action
How can we carry on our Lenten commitment to engaging spirituality into an ongoing action to serve the poor and to change the root causes of such poverty?
Holy Thursday calls on us to remember the role that the priests have accepted as servant leaders in the image of Christ to aid us. Let us not forget that we all – young and old, rich and poor, male and female, friend and stranger, neighbor and enemy – share in this united ministry from God.
