Saint Rita Catholic Church and School in Webster, NY - An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings

“Today This Scripture Passage Is Fulfilled In Your Hearing”

Today, we hear two readings from the Scroll of the Word of God. In our first reading, the Israelites recommit themselves to God's Word as they seek to rebuild Jerusalem after their return from exile in Babylon. In our Gospel reading, Jesus proclaims Himself to be the long awaited fulfillment of Isaiah's prophesy of the Messiah.

In our first reading (Nehemiah 8:2-4, 5-6, 8-10), the priest Ezra read and interpreted to the people the Law of God (the Torah that most had forgotten while in exile). Ezra and Nehemiah, the governor of Judea, proclaimed, "Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not be saddened on this day."

In our Epistle reading (1 Corinthians 12:12-30), we hear a continuation of last Sunday's Epistle (we have many gifts but “the same Spirit produces all of these”). In today’s passage, the theme continues - we are all one body though we are many parts. It speaks to the wide diversity of callings from our God, each to serve a different aspect of the Church and its people.

In our Gospel reading (Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21), we hear Jesus’ first public speech / sermon in Luke’s Gospel. In this time after Epiphany, we heard a number of manifestations of the glory and power of our God in Christ. The angels’ proclamation to the shepherds, then the Baptism of the Lord and the Father’s proclamation, then the Maji’s visit, then the miracle at Cana, and in today’s reading, Jesus manifested Himself as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy that the Messiah would “proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free ...” After reading this passage from the scroll in His hometown synagogue, Jesus said, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

There are a number of themes in today's readings, but the foremost is Jesus' self-manifestation that He is indeed the Messiah, the Anointed One of God.

May our heartfelt and passionate response to the word of God be, like those who heard Ezra proclaiming from the Book of the Law of God, to reestablish Jesus as the central focus of our lives and our world.