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Gospel Reading for September 2, 2024 – Luke 4: 16-30
LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST!
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. 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.
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When Carlos Yulo won two gold medals in the recent Olympics, he became an instant celebrity. We were so proud of him because he made us proud to be Filipinos. He brought honor to the Philippines. He wasn’t only an instant celebrity getting all the raves, but he became an instant millionaire with all the prizes he got from various quarters of our country.
In the gospel reading of today, it isn’t just about Jesus winning in the Olympics. It was very much more than that! He was revealing to his own townspeople that finally, the prophecy of the great prophet Isaiah, is now fulfilled in their presence. But although they spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth, their attention went to the peripheral issues or the least important things in his life – that he came from a poor family.
If we Filipinos focused more on the peripheral issues of Carlos Yulo, such as his family background, we will not get to appreciate the honor he gave our country. All the good work, all the efforts that went into achieving the gold medals would come to naught. What a big waste!
Perhaps, it is the reason why God made Jesus, his only Son, come from a poor and simple family. There is so much more to a person than his/her family background. We all come into the world in different ways, but this will not determine what WE WILL BECOME. As is said, “Life is what we make It.” All we have to do is take stock of what we have received, and do our best with them. This is what is called, LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST!
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103: 1-2)
