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Gospel: Luke 4: 14-22
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.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today’s Gospel describes the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.
For the next, and final, three years of his life – some 1,000 days – he will perform miracle after miracle, healing the sick, casting out demons, and forgiving those caught in sin.
His entire life and mission can be summarized in three words:
Jesus lifted burdens.
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In his name, so should we.
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Recently, for example, I spoke with a group of first and second graders who are just starting to learn about Christianity. So, I asked them a simple question, “How do you help other students?”
One said, “I pick up his pencil when it falls.” Another, “I help her spell long words.” And another, “She makes me feel better when I’m sad.”
Even in first or second grade, children have their share of burdens – a dropped pencil, trouble with spelling, a bad morning at home – but they know they can look to a friend to lift their burden.
As we age, the weight might become a bit heavier, but the principle remains the same: we all have the power – and responsibility – of helping those in need.
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By day’s end, I hope we can all say in honor of our Lord:
We lifted burdens.
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Image credits: (1) Adobe Stock (2) Freepik (3) KFUO Radio