Thursday of Holy Week - At the Chrism Mass

April 18, 2019

Readings:

First Reading: Isaiah 61: 1-3a, 6a 8b-9

Psalm: 89

Second Reading: Revelation 1: 5-8

Gospel reading according to Luke 4: 16-21

+

Homily

Once more, Jesus went back to Nazareth, the place where he lived, where he learned many skills, worked with his father Joseph and taught by his mother Mary, and grew up there with his neighbors and friends but no one became his disciple that would follow him, for they knew him and his poor, humble family.  “Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to the custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day” (Lk. 4: 16).  Usually, when he came from Capernaum in Galilee to Nazareth, it became his habit and tradition to go to the synagogue to listen to the readings from the scroll. 

This time, since he became popular throughout Judea and to the nearby towns, villages, cities and down to Jerusalem, except in his own town Nazareth, he was invited to read and to explain to them the meaning of what he is going to read in an ordinary, simple and easy to understand  manner of teaching. “He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah” (Lk. 4: 17). He stood up to be recognized that he is the one chosen to read the scripture for today.  He handed over to him the scroll and opening it he found the book of the prophet Isaiah.  Many of the Jewish people living in Nazareth cannot read or write, they rely only to their rabbi who can read and explain to them the content of the readings.  Since Jesus knew how to read and write it is believed that he was a schooled and learned man, who can teach the scripture and explain it as a true rabbi.

He opened the scroll by rolling it down, and he found in the book of Isaiah this passage. “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 the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord’.” (Lk. 4: 18-19).

After his baptism by John in the River Jordan, he received the Holy Spirit who descended upon him and never left him since then.  The Holy Spirit with God the Father who was well pleased of him anointed him to be his Christ, the chosen One who will bring glad tidings (good news) to the poor, set free the captive, those in prisons who were victims of unjust society, that he will bring back the sight of the blind, to let go the oppressed, and to proclaim the Year of the Lord.  These are the flat forms (flata-forma) of Jesus in his campaign for his Kingdom of God where justices, peace, love, forgiveness, healing and reconciliation happen. 

As the manner of holding and using before and after the scripture in the form of a scroll, he rolled up the parchment/manuscript, gave it back to the one administering and taking care of the synagogue and the scripture, and as the custom of a teacher he sat down with the people.  “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” (Lk. 4: 20). 

Everything that was written in the book of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled in Jesus, the Christ, the anointed one.  “He said to them, ‘Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing’.” (Lk. 4: 21).  Nothing escaped in Jesus’ act of fulfilling the prophesy.  Every minute detail was performed by Jesus.