They were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips
Welcome
The lectionary divides Luke 4:14-30 into two parts. Our Sunday Gospel is, therefore, the continuation of the scene in Nazareth, as imaginatively represented by Luke. Luke’s expansion of the story anticipates, in symbolic fashion, the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Gospel project. Welcoming the Gentiles was a real struggle, as may be seen from Acts 10:1-11:18 (the “conversion” of Cornelius) and from Galatians. The struggle may speak to us today, as we become aware of the individual and groups we exclude from the worshipping community.
The Readings
Some Inspiration
It is not forbidden to continue to reflect on the place of the Scriptures in our lives, precisely because last Sunday’s Gospel reading was Part I. This Sunday we have Part II of the Lucan scene in Nazareth. There are more resources here, including a rich collection of pastoral resources from the Council for the New Evangelisation (Rome). Click on the image below to access the PDF. The Synodal Pathways journey will indeed be fruitful if, and only if, we ground our participation in prayer and in the Word of God. The regeneration of faith can have no other genesis.
For some music, you could try the St Olaf Choir singing “The Word was God,” a setting of the Prologue of John. Very powerful.
