A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 4:14-22
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath day. And he stood up to read; 17 and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
If you look around you in some cities you pass through…you would call the testament of Jesus a utopia if you did not think of him. He saw a world like this too, and at the climax of his life he appeared to be overcome by it, defeated by evil…He looked on the world just as we see it, but did not doubt.
At night he prayed heaven above and heaven within himself: the Trinity that is true Being, the real All, while outside the nothingness that passes away moved through the streets.
We, too, must do as he did…Then you will notice, with eyes which are no longer lifeless, that you look at the world and at things, but that it is no longer you looking at it: it is Christ who looks, and in you he sees again the blind needing sight, the dumb to be made to speak, the crippled to be made to walk, people who are blind to the vision of God inside and outside them, people who are immobile and crippled because they are unaware of the divine will which, from the bottom of their hearts spurs them on to the eternal movement that is eternal love.
You see and discover your…true self, which is Christ, the true reality of you in them, and having found him, you unite with him in your brother. So you light a cell of the Body of Christ, a living cell, a hearth of God where there is fire to communicate to others and with it light.
Chiara Lubich
Yes Yes, No No
New City, London 1977, p.69
(published by the Priestly Branch of the Focolare Movement)
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