Word to the Wise
Sunday, January 24, 2010 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
[Nehemiah 8:2-4A, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21]Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.
One of the stereotypical scenes of American political life is the announcement of candidacy for political office. The candidate goes to his hometown and stands on the porch of the house where he or she grew up, or else some other location in the town to emphasize a connection with the people of the area and to suggest that he or she is just an ordinary American citizen with "hometown" values! In essence, the candidate claims to be the embodiment of those values which are enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, etc. etc.. The idea is to generate enthusiasm and votes, but great expectations are created as well. A similar type of scene may occur at the grand opening of a big factory or shopping mall - "ribbon-cutting" events designed to create hope. Jesus is not running for office, nor is he opening one! But he IS inaugurating not only his public ministry but also a new age! The gathering in the synagogue is aware of the first but not the second. They are startled to hear him read from one of the great prophets of their tradition and then, of all things, announce that he is the living fulfillment of that prophecy! It would be hard to be more dramatic! The response is mixed. Some marvel at how good a speaker he is! Some wonder how the son of a carpenter could have gotten an education. Others have heard that he has done some healings in Capernaum and they want some of that to be done in Nazareth. Jesus confronts them with their skepticism and ambitions, which infuriates them. This is where we need to stop the story and start asking ourselves some questions. In our own time it is not unusual to find Christians whose faith extends only as far as the "nice things" that Jesus may have to say. Questions of his divinity or his fulfillment of God's promise through the prophets or loving one's enemy are not welcome. It's nice to know, these folks think, that Jesus "healed" some folks way back then, but what does that have to do with modern science!! As for carrying a cross like he did, well....... In short, what does an announcement more than 2000 years ago in a small town synagogue have to do with "Christianity" today (and in particular, the Catholic Church!). What's in it for us? The short answer is EVERYTHING. If Jesus is not the embodiment of God's promise to the world, our faith is in vain! If his teaching is nothing more than the stuff we can find in all those "self-help" books at the mall, why bother listening? After all these centuries of Christian tradition, is our response little better than those folks in Nazareth? Those may be disturbing questions but we can't say Jesus wasn't challenging faith then and NOW! AMEN
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