Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Luke 4:38-44

After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, “To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent.”
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we discover a full day in the life of Jesus.

The Lord began his day in the synagogue, where he cast out an unclean spirit from a man, revealing Christ’s power of evil.

“After lunch,” Jesus enters Simon Peter’s home, where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law who is deathly ill. 

Then he continues his ministry well into the evening. As we hear in today’s Gospel, “At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.”

I’d imagine by night the Lord was exhausted.

But early the next morning – before dawn – he is up and out, finding a quiet place to commune with his Father in prayer.

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Prayer is what sustained Jesus throughout his life and ministry. It’s also what should sustain us. 

Think of prayer as another word for relationship. Everything that you do to enrich your relationship with God – from studying his Word, to serving him in your neighbor is prayer.

But the most important form of prayer is that one-on-one, heart-to-heart time with God, which the Lord shows us today is best found, “very early before dawn,” before other obligations or demands of the day take over.

I’ve been fortunate to pray for at least an hour a day before dawn for the last fifteen years. It’s transformed my life.

Over time, God can do wonderous things in your heart, as well, even with a few minutes each morning.

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But be consistent. Be sincere. Be open.

Slowly, you’ll become more and more like him, “who has loved us and given himself for us.”

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Image credits: (1) Christ Pantocrator, Sinai (2) Circling a Date on a Calendar, Arthur Cauty (3) It’s a Beautiful Thing ~ Life, WordPress

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Gospel: luke 4: 31-37

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, 
and he cried out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“What is there about his word?”

People ask themselves after witnessing Jesus cast out a demon from a man in the synagogue.

This becomes the first exorcism that Jesus performs in Luke’s Gospel, and the first time Luke makes explicit mention of Christ’s authority, revealed through his speech. 

Jesus reveals that God’s Word is living and effective, sharper than a two-edged sword. It heals; purifies; casts out evil; brings peace to souls held in captivity; and offers wisdom to those who seek it. 

Today Jesus uses his speech to heal a man possessed by a demon. Later, he forgives people caught in sin; heals a centurion’s servant from a distance; heals a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years; and even brings a young girl back from the brink of death.

All with the power of his word.

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What has been my own experience with God’s Word?

Do I rely upon the it to guide my daily decisions? Do I turn to the Word for strength and consolation? Do I have a favorite verse?

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Personally, I echo the experience of the prophet Jeremiah, who proclaimed, “When I found your words, I devoured them. They became my happiness and the joy of my heart, because I bore your name, O Lord, God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).

May the same Word that brought healing to the demoniac in today’s Gospel bring guidance, strength, and nourishment to our souls today.

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Image credits: (1) Journey Online (2) Biblword.net (3) Psephizo

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Gospel: Luke 4:16-30

Jesus 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.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel passage takes place in the synagogue of Jesus’ hometown, where he just started his public ministry. He begins by opening the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming, “Today this prophecy is fulfilled in your hearing.”

God has visited his people!

Filled with awe and excitement, Saint Luke tells us, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.”

Yet, within a matter of sentences, the same crowd who marveled at Christ’s words were ready to push him off a cliff! 

What a tragic, confusing turn of events.

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In many ways, this quickened experience of praise and rejection bookends Christ’s life. When he is born in Bethlehem, the magi lay gifts at his feet in adoration, while King Herod tries killing him. Thus, the Lord’s birth is the cause of both praise and rejection.

Thirty-three years later on Palm Sunday, crowds lay palm branches at his feet in praise, only to shout five days later on Good Friday, “Crucify him!” 

Such is the fragile nature of public opinion – and by extension, the feebleness of humanity. 

These Gospel characters remind us how quickly people can be to judge; to draw false conclusions without having all of the facts; to turn on others, even God in the flesh.

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Perhaps some of us have experienced the same phenomenon of worldly praise and quickened rejection. Or maybe we’ve found ourselves in the position of the crowds – critical of others and quick to judge.

But the Lord reminds us today that our mission is never to seek the praise of man or to be overly concerned by a change in public opinion.

We have one mission only: to bring glory to God.

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Image credits: (1) The Court of Public Opinion, Vegas Legal Magazine (2) Nazareth’s Synagogue Church, Danny the Digger (3) Instagram