The Gospel Christ came to proclaim is pretty simple and very straightforward: life is stronger than death; light is stronger than the darkness; love is stronger than hate and anger.
Life is not easy. It is full of challenges, constantly changing. It is punctuated by pain and suffering. I can choose to be broken by vicissitudes of life or I can turn these into opportunities for growth and a fuller life. My pains and sufferings may sometimes be so extreme that I would rue the day I was born. And yet looking back, every difficulty I have overcome has made me a better and stronger person. The tears I have shed have been worth the joy and happiness that came later.
Light is easy to see. Yet there is so much darkness in our world today. It is so dark people fail to see the goodness in others. I choose to see the kindness and generosity of people who have come forward to help others in misery. I choose to see the dedication and care of those who have committed themselves to teaching even when they could be earning bigger salaries elsewhere. I choose to see the service and and compassion of those who have taken up a life of healing in the face of so much sickness and pain in their environment. I thank those with sensitive souls for showing us the light in the human spirit even as we are beset by all sorts of storms of darkness.
Love is not easy in the world today and it looks like a poor choice in the face of the strong preference among many people for greed and selfishness. Where everyone seems to looking out for Number One, I choose to think of others before I think of myself. I will prefer to give rather than to receive. I will serve rather than be served. And I will change myself for the better rather than try to change others or the world into my image and likeness.
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.
Luke 4:14-22