22 Week of Ordinary Time, Monday, September 4, 2006

Scripture: I Cor.2:1-5. Psalm 119:97-102. Luke 4:16-30.

Paul continues to preach the paradox of the Cross as our epistle unfolds throughout this week. He is dealing with down to earth people at Corinth--sailors, merchants, and the poor. It is a booming seaport city and no easy task for the Apostle, but he remains constant in his message about Jesus' death on the Cross and its effect upon people at Corinth as well as succeeding generations of Christian believers in the divinity and humanity of Jesus. Paul does this with reverential fear of God and with trepidation from whom he is addressing,but he does so with boldness and courage. Later in Philippians he will cite one of the earliest hymns dedicated to Christ and the mystery about which Paul is speaking, perhaps, it is worthwhile to meditate on that hymn while reading these words about the paradox and mystery of the Cross in I Corinthians. The hymn is found in Philippians 2:5-11. This will help us to understand that the Paschal Mysteries as preached by Paul include the Resurrection and the return of Christ to the right hand of the Father in power. Yes, Jesus, humiliates and empties himself (the Kenosis Christology) but is uplifted to the right hand of God, the Father. Though Paul stresses the Cross he never forgets the complete story of Jesus seen through the Resurrection. There is no "Good Friday" without an Easter Sunday.

In turning to the Gospel of Luke, we see Jesus too is preaching in the synagogues and was doing this regularly. This astounds the people who know him to be the son of Joseph the builder. How does he have the wisdom and authority to preach and interpret the Scriptures? Jesus uses the haftarah of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2, cf. Zephaniah 2:3)to demonstrate his own mission to the people of Israel. The prophets were read on a sabbath after the Torah and these readings were an integral part of the synagogue's worship. Every adult Jew could be permitted by the head of the synagogue to do the reading of a haftarah. "Determining specific portions of each Shabbat also was a prerequisite for the selection of readings from the prophets as haftarot, as they were correlated with the Torah portion by words, by theme,or by place in the liturgical cycle." (taken from Etz Hayim, p1488, The Jewish Publication Society, 2001).

Jesus interprets Isaiah and sees his own mission as the one anointed by God to bring good news to the poor, the captives, and to the blind. At first the listeners are amazed at his wisdom , but when he challenges them with some striking examples from the Scriptures, they turn on him and drive him toward a steep cliff hoping to do away with him, but he passes through them without harm. So Jesus proclaims the message of Isaiah and the proclamation of the kingdom of God with great boldness and courage. Nothing can stop him from this mission. We, too, today's listeners and readers hear both the Good News coming from Jesus and also the challenge to change our own lives and enter into his mission. Our rresponse to Jesus depends on our faith commitment and how we have matured and developed within it. Only then can we accept the complete message and preaching of Jesus. Amen.