Thursday, January 10, 2013

Daily Mass Homily: Thursday, January 10th, 2013


            In the scriptural academic world, some cynics and skeptics will say, “Jesus never claimed to be God.”  They argue that we made up assertions about Jesus’ divinity that He never claimed.  Ironically, these scripture scholars don’t know the scriptures well.
            In our Gospel Jesus cites a messianic prophecy from Isaiah.  Through such prophecies the Jews looked to the coming of the savior of the Israelites who would bring military victory and prosperity to their nation.  Imagine the scene in the synagogue as “the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him” and he said, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
            Jesus might have well as said, “Hello!  I’m the Messiah!  I’m God!”
            And Jesus did fulfill this particular message from Isaiah: 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.
            And Jesus did bring deliverance and abundance.  Not military victory or earthly prosperity, but freedom from sin and abundance of grace.

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