Humbly submit your will to God (thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. Lk 4:14-22

Jesus reveals the greatest Truth today, He is the Messiah.  He stands in His home Temple, reads the prophecy of Isaiah, then says, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing”.  Is there any other way we need to hear it then straight from His mouth?  Jesus just spoke to the world, He is the Messiah.  The One to set us free from sin and death and reconcile us, the poor sinner, with God.  This is life changing, it is revolutionary.  It is the most bold statement by any person.  Either Jesus is who He says He is or He is a bad man. -Bishop Barron

Therefore, it is easy to see why the Jews rejected Him.  He was a poor man (from the other side of town), the son of a carpenter, an ordinary family.  When He reveals himself to his closest companions, the disciples, they often have a hard time believing him and reject him, too.  It is so difficult to wrap our heads around the idea that Jesus was the God-Man.  It requires a free gift from God, faith.

Love changes that for all of us.  As John closes his letter in the first reading, he says, “And the victory that conquers the world is our faith”. Human reason can only take us so far.  We must take the leap and rely on faith. It is a difficult leap, but it conquers the world and leads us to the promised land.  Do you believe Jesus and what He revealed to us today?  To believe means to belong. We belong to God, branded by Him at our baptism. Are you ready to start loving?  Love is a decision.  We are asked by God to respond to His love for us and be loved.

The Good News: Jesus, the long awaited Messiah, is the God-Man, died on a cross, resurrected, and restored our relationship with the Father. Our brokenness is restored, we are loved, we belong, the lowest of the low belongs and is loved. God’s love is more powerful than all the powers of this earth and this love lives in us. It is what we are designed for and how we have entered into existence.  Stop fighting it, stop doubting, and begin not only to exist, but live.  St. Pope John Paul II said the Christian life is “a great adventure”.  ”Be not afraid”. Start living!

Today’s challenge: Prove to God you love Him by following the commandments and treating others the way you want to be treated.  Love. Believe. Belong.

Be a servant, become a saint!
​#Christian YOLO