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Jubilee of the world of communication
Saint Peter’s Basilica – 26 January 2025
Sunday Gospel (Luke 1:1-4,4:14-21)
Seeing that many others have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have taken place among us, exactly as these were handed down to us by those who from the outset were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, I in my turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an ordered account for you, Theophilus, so that your Excellency may learn how well founded the teaching is that you have received.
Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside.
He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him. He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favor. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’
Homily of Pope Francis:
The Gospel we have heard tells of the fulfilment of a prophecy overflowing with the Holy Spirit.
It is fulfilled by the One who comes “with the power of the Spirit” (Lk 4:14): Jesus, the Savior.
The Word of God is alive.
It accompanies us through the centuries, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is at work in every age.
For the Lord is always faithful to his promise, which, he always keeps in his love for humanity.
This is exactly what Jesus said in the synagogue of Nazareth: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”.
Sisters and brothers, what a happy coincidence!
On the Sunday of the Word of God, at the beginning of this Jubilee Year, we proclaim this page of the Gospel of Luke, in which Jesus reveals himself as the Messiah, “anointed” (v. 18) and sent to “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”!
Jesus is the living Word in whom all Scripture find its fulfilment.
Today in the Sacred Liturgy, we are his contemporaries; we too, filled with amazement, open our hearts and minds to listen to him, because “it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church”. I said one word: amazement.
When we hear the Gospel, the words of God, it is not just a matter of listening to or understanding them, no. They must reach our hearts and cause what I said, “amazement”.
The Word of God always amazes us; it always renews us.
It penetrates our hearts and always renews us.
In this spirit of our rejoicing faith, we are invited to accept the ancient prophecy as coming from the very Heart of Christ, and to reflect on five actions that characterize the unique and universal mission of the Messiah. A unique mission, because he alone can fulfil it; a universal mission, because he wants to involve everyone in it.
First, Jesus was anointed “to bring good news to the poor” (v. 18).
This is the “gospel”, the good news that Jesus proclaims: the kingdom of God is at hand!
When God reigns, we are saved.
The Lord comes to visit his people, to care for the lowly and the wretched.
The Gospel is a word of compassion; it calls us to practice charity, to forgive our neighbor’s debts and to be generous in serving others. L
et us not forget that the Lord is close, merciful and compassionate.
God’s style is one of closeness, mercy and compassion.
Second: Christ’s second action is to “proclaim the liberation of the captives”.
Brothers, sisters, the days of evil are numbered, because the future belongs to God.
With the power of the Spirit, Jesus redeems us from all guilt and liberates our hearts from all that holds them in bondage, because he brings the Father’s forgiveness into the world.
The Gospel is a word of mercy, that calls us to be passionate witnesses of peace, solidarity and reconciliation.
Third; The third action with which Jesus fulfils the prophecy is of “restoring sight to the blind”.
The Messiah opens the eyes of our heart, which are too often blinded by the lure of power and vanity:
the illnesses of the soul that prevent us from recognizing God’s presence and hide weak and the suffering from our gaze.
The Gospel is a word of light, that beckons us to the truth and calls us to bear witness to our faith and to be consistent in its practice.
Fourth: The fourth action of Jesus is to “let the oppressed go free”.
No form of bondage can resist the work of the Messiah, who makes us brothers and sisters in his name. The prisons of persecution and the dungeons of death are thrown full open by the passionate power of God.
The Gospel is a word of freedom that calls us to conversion of heart, integrity of mind and perseverance in trial.
Fifth: Jesus was sent “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (v. 19).
This year is a new age, an age that does not consume life, but regenerates it.
It is a “Jubilee”, and in this sense, like the one we are celebrating now as a way of preparing ourselves in hope for our definitive encounter with the Redeemer.
The Gospel is a word of joy that calls us to mutual acceptance and communion on our pilgrimage towards the Kingdom of God.
Through these five actions, Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy even now.
By freeing us from our captivity, he tells us that God comes close to us in our poverty, redeems us from evil, enlightens our eyes, breaks the yoke of oppression, and brings us into the joy of a time and greater history in which he makes himself constantly present, to walk beside us and to leadus to eternal life. True, the salvation he gives us is not yet fully realized. We know this.
Buy wars, injustice, pain and death will not have the last word. The Gospel never disappoints.
Brothers and sisters, on this Sunday devoted in a special way to the Word of God, let us thank the Father for having spoken to us through his own Word, made flesh for the salvation of the world.
All Scripture, whose true authors are human writers and the Holy Spirit, points to this event.
The entire Bible speaks of Christ and his work, which the Spirit makes present and active in our lives and in history.
When we read the Sacred Scripture, when we pray and study them, we do not simply receive information about God; we receive his Spirit, who reminds us of all that Jesus said and did (cf. Jn 14:26).
In this way, our hearts, inflamed by faith, wait in hope for the coming of God.
Brothers and sisters, we must become more familiar with the reading of Sacred Scripture.
I would like to suggest that each of us get a small, pocket-sized copy of the Gospels or New Testament. We could always carry it with us in a pocket so that we can read it at different times of the day.
One verse, two verses so that we can be in touch with the Lord throughout the day.
A small copy of the Gospels is enough.
Let us respond with enthusiasm to the good news of Christ!
For the Lord has not spoken to us as silent listeners, but as his witnesses, called to evangelize always and everywhere.
Today, forty brothers and sisters from different parts of the world have come to receive the ministry of Lectors. Thank you!
We are grateful and we pray for them. We are all praying for you.
Let us commit ourselves to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Then, yes, sisters and brothers, we will transform the world according to the will of God who created it and redeemed it in his immense love. Thank you!
