Homily: Thursday after Epiphany - Sent to bring liberty to captives...

These Epiphany week readings continue to reveal important insights into Jesus’ identity.  The child born in Bethlehem, who had grown up in Nazareth, entered the synagogue, and revealed that he is the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah, He is the anointed one sent by God, to bring liberty and healing. 

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.

All throughout the Advent season we heard of the prophets promising liberty to captives—those who, has a result of their sin, had been driven from their land, and held in captivity by enemy powers.  The people of 1st Century Nazareth, felt they were captives in their own land, under the rule of hostile foreign powers.  They await the Epiphany of the Messiah, they longed for it.

Yet, the reaction of the people of Nazareth was a far from the response of the Magi coming with gifts and adoring hearts.  
Well, the reading ends with the crowd looking intently at him, flabbergasted.  “Isn’t this the son of Joseph? The carpenter’s Son?” Then people in the synagogue are all filled with fury.  They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to a cliff on the edge of town, to throw him over and kill him.

Here was an opportunity for an Epiphany—to come to belief in Jesus’ identity through his self-revelation.  But Jesus was met with unbelief, and hostility, and an attempt on his life.

Their hearts were closed and hostile to the truth Jesus had to bring.  A sad response to Jesus’ self-revelation.  A rejection of the freedom and the healing of blindnesses He, the anointed one, was sent to bring..

Closedmindedness and pride are the age-old enemies, not only by hindering unbelievers from coming to faith in Christ, but hindering believing Christians from growing in holiness.  Closedmindedness and pride hinder us from surrendering more deeply to the transforming, liberating, enlightening grace of God, and keep us from the opportunities to serve God’s kingdom.  

We are blessed with the ability to come to Mass every day, to profess our faith in him and our desire to grow in holiness.  May our celebration of Word and Sacrament help to bring us liberty in our continued captivity to sin and to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and Lord with more and more of our lives, and witness to the world to his salvation for the glory of God and salvation of souls.