Sunday:       Holy Thursday
Date:         March 24, 2005
Year:         A
The readings: [Is. 61:1-3a, 6a, 8b-9; Rev. 1:4-8; Lk. 4:16-21]
The message:  Sent to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  1267

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My brothers and sisters in Christ, tonight officially opens the door to the Easter Triduum. Beginning at the evening Mass of the Lord Supper, the Easter Triduum shall reach its climax on Easter Vigil to finally close on the evening of Easter Sunday. On this first day of the Holy Season, we are reminded that Jesus was "Sent to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." [Lk. 4:19; Is. 61:2a]

Today's First Reading from the Book of Isaiah, [Is. 61:1-3a, 6a, 8b-9] being prophetic in nature, announced that the Messianic era had come. As we heard in two of today's readings, words that seemed to be repetitious, the verses from Isaiah 61:1-2a were identical to those in Luke 4:18-19. The First Reading announced the coming of the Messiah; the Second Reading announced its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

While the words of both reading appeared to be identical, there was a major difference. When Jesus spoke the words, He stopped short of repeating all the words of the great prophet Isaiah. Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." [Lk. 4:18-9; Is. 61:1-2a] He omitted the words, "And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning." [Is. 61:2b-3] Why did Jesus only quote part of the Scriptures?

To understand this, it must be noticed that two different events are found in Isaiah's prophecy. The first event refers to proclaiming "the year of the Lord's favour." [Lk. 4:19; Is. 61:2a] The second event refers to proclaiming "the day of vengeance of our God." [Is. 61:2b] When Jesus read from the Scriptures, stopping at the end of the first event, He was witnessing to the fact that the messianic age had come, that the moment of salvation had already arrived through His Person. Consequently, a new era was dawning upon mankind. This new era consisted of the present age of grace. This age is compared to a year, meaning it will persist for an indefinite period of time.

The duration of the second event shall be much shorter. It is compared to a day versus a year. What will happen on that day? The judgment of God shall fall upon the world on that day! It shall come like a vengeance, when it is the least expected. Jesus omitted this part of the Scriptures because in His days, this was a future event yet to happen. Compared to those who live in the generation of our Lord Jesus, today, we are much closer, very much closer, to that day.

During today's First Reading, we heard that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus because He had been anointed. [Is. 61:1] These words echo our baptism at which time the Holy Spirit made His dwelling within us when we were anointed with the oil of Chrism. Through our anointing, we were admitted into the common "priesthood" [1 Pet. 2:5] of which Jesus is the "High Priest." [Heb. 2:17, 3:1, 4:14-5, 5:1, 5:10, 6:20, 7:26, 8:1, 8:3, 9:11, 10:21]

As Jesus was sent "to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour," [Is. 61:1-2] as true witnesses of Christ, we Christians are obliged through the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation to spread and defend the faith by word and deed. (C.C.C. # 1285)

The prisoners who need to be released are those who walk in the darkness. Once, we were in the darkness, but now in the Lord we are light. We are called to live as children of light. [Mt. 5:14; Eph. 5:8; 1 Thes. 5:5] We are called to "lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light." [Rom. 13:12] We are called to "let (our) light shine before others, so that they may see (our) good works and give glory to (the) Father in Heaven." [Mt 5:16] In the end, by the grace of the Heavenly Father through the power of the Holy Spirit in the Most Holy Name of Jesus, the prisoners shall be released from the grip of darkness so that they too may share in the eternal glory that awaits the children of the Lord.

In the days of the Old Testament, only a selected few, the Levites, qualified to be called priests of the Lord. Today, through the Body of Christ that has been instituted on earth by Jesus, the High Priest Himself, we are called to come to Him as a living stone. Though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, we are called to let ourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. [1 Pet. 2:4-5] As such, we will receive the promised recompense and enjoy the everlasting Covenant that God has promised us. [Is. 61:8]

During today's Second Reading, [Rev. 1:4-8] we heard that Jesus who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood, has made us to be a kingdom, priests to serve His God and Father. [Rev. 1:5-6] Our common priesthood had its origin on Mount Sinai where God the Father said, "Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation." [Ex. 19:5-6] From this source has developed a glorious Mystical Body that has reached the four corners of the earth. Over and above this, not only does it embrace the members of the physical Church but also all the saints of the invisible Church, all those who have persevered in their living faith until the end.

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, "the firstborn of the dead," [Rev. 1:5; 1 Cor. 15:20; Col. 1:18] and the ruler of the kings of the earth. [Rev. 1:5] He is the faithful witness because during His ministry, He perfectly revealed the Father to us. [Jn. 3:11, 32] By the sacrifice of His life, He crowned this testimony before Pontius Pilate. [Jn. 18:37; 1 Tim. 6:13]

The second Reading finished by stating that the Lord Jesus shall come in the clouds, at which time every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. [Rev. 1:7] He who was, who is and who shall be, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, shall return to manifest the glory that He has shown to those in the early days of Christianity. In living faith, we patiently await this glorious moment.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus was sent to us to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour. (Lk. 4:18-9; Is. 61:1-2a) This year of the Lord's favour, this present age of grace, was bestowed upon us as an act of infinite love. The fullness of the height, the depth and the width of such love can never be measured in human terms because it surpasses the capacity of human perception. In our humble and limited capability of perceiving God's love, we are reminded to draw towards Him, especially during the next few days, so that through our personal contemplate, we may share in His sufferings and glorious Resurrection.

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"The servant of the Lord said: 'The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning.

You shall be called priests of the Lord, you shall be named ministers of our God. I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.'" [Is. 61:1-3a, 6a, 8b-9]

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Second Reading...

"Christ has made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father. Grace to you and peace from God who is and who was and who is to come, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will lament. So it is to be. Amen. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." [Rev. 1:4-8]

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Gospel Reading...

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom.

He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.'

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.' [Lk. 4:16-21]

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