By Amala William csc –
Readings: 1 Jn 4: 19-5:4; Lk 4: 14-22
Today’s reading draws us close to the understanding of ‘Jesus’ love-oriented mission’. In the first reading, we are made aware of the purpose of loving God and others. Occasionally, when a crisis occurs in one’s life, there is a tendency to withdraw oneself from doing good work as a reaction to those unpleasant events.
But the ultimate call is to express God’s love in the person of Christ. We read in 1 Cor 6:20, ‘For you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body.’ Through his son, Jesus Christ, God has redeemed us by dying on the cross as an expression of divine love. Therefore, we are obliged to show the same love to our brothers and sisters.
The gospel of the day demonstrates to us that the primary duty of the Messiah and his disciples is to proclaim the good news of forgiveness, liberation, and healing. This duty does not care only about people’s life after death but also the life here on earth. Jesus solemnly declared his mission from the scroll of Isaiah. It was a concise missionstatement of God’s love to his people.
As Christians, we are called to be effective servants of this mission by being rooted in the mission of Jesus. As we read and reflect upon the word of God, may we find our talents and skills to be creatively used for God’s work to the best of our ability so that we may build the kingdom of God.