Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (4: 14-22) in which Jesus, with the power of the spirit in him, returned to Galilee and his reputation spread throughout the countryside.

As we continue this series of readings after the Epiphany Fr Paul says, in today’s Gospel, Luke  is putting into the mouths of the main characters an explanation of what is going on.  This is a technique he uses quite often.  In this case, Jesus explaining his mission and, like the other day when I mentioned the calling of the disciples about the charismatic and electrifying personality of Jesus, this scene, too, is electrifying as Jesus unrolls the scroll and stops at the central passage of Isaiah and applies himself to the prophecy;  the prophecy of the coming of the spirit. When he sits down, again, all eyes are fixed on him.

Fr Paul says, what we don’t hear is how the expectations of the people are torn apart because Jesus says that it’s the outsiders, not the chosen people, he is here for. No wonder after this Gospel concludes, if you keep reading, they want to take him and throw him off a cliff.

Fr Paul says this reading is telling us that the ministry of the Church is to be worldwide; that the disciples must spread the message of Jesus to all, not just a chosen few.

Mindful of the message of today’s Gospel, Fr Paul invites us to reflect during our prayer ‘How do I help spread the message of Jesus in our world today?’