Gospel Reflection Jan 26 – Deacon Stephen Petrill

Sunday, January 26

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Gospel:

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events

that have been fulfilled among us,

just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning

and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,

I too have decided,

after investigating everything accurately anew,

to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,

most excellent Theophilus,

so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings

you have received.

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.”

Gospel Reflection:

What I find particularly powerful about Luke’s Gospel is that it is directed towards an individual, Theophilus, which means “Lover of God.” This is the literary equivalent of an actor in a movie looking directly at the camera, directly engaging the audience; each one of us. Luke tells us why he is writing his Gospel, how he wrote it, and draws us in as fellow lovers of God.

We then turn to Galilee, where we find Jesus in the synagogue, reading from the scroll of Isaiah and proclaiming, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” In this moment, Jesus declares the fulfillment of God’s promise and outlines His mission to bring good news to the poor, freedom to captives, and sight to the blind.

As lovers of God, this passage reminds us that Scripture is both the culmination of history and a living Word meant to transform our lives. It invites us to see how God is at work today, calling us to embrace the mission of Christ in our own circumstances. It also calls us to look out into the world to serve the poor, the imprisoned, the blind, and the oppressed as a result of our deep love of God. May God help us to look intently at Christ, to hear His Word, and to grow as lovers of God and servants of our neighbor.

Deacon Stephen Petrill