THIRD SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME YEAR C.
27th January 2019.
Nehemiah 8:2-4a,5-6,8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21.
Jesus Christ returns to Galilee with the firm conviction that only the establishment of the kingdom of God is the only saving option for humanity. Revolution against and resistance of Roman Imperialism is not an option. Humanity is up against itself. We engage our own violence. Thus, a change in attitude, perception and character is what the kingdom of God offers. Collective acknowledgement and repentance are what he advocates.
Poverty, captivity, spiritual blindness, political oppression, etc. are man made situations that taunt the unfortunate and helpless members of the society. The prophecy of Isaiah read by Jesus Christ in the synagogue states the obvious; 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. Jesus Christ is sent to liberate humanity through the establishment of God’s kingdom of non-violence on earth. This explains why he rightly claimed; “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Anthony Ekpunobi CM.
