Wednesday of the
Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(Colossians 1:1-8; Luke 4:38-44)
The Gospel according to Luke presents Jesus in many
different ways. He is the preeminent man
of prayer. It is said that in the third
gospel Jesus prays before taking every significant action. Jesus appears here
as one of the world’s greatest story-tellers.
Who could argue that his most moving parables are not found in Luke’s
gospel? Luke also presents Jesus as the
great reconciler. Even Herod and Pilate
become friends after dealing with Jesus.
It also may be said that in Luke’s gospel Jesus is peripatetic; that is,
he is always on the go.
Today’s gospel shows Jesus ready to hit the road
again. It also gives the reason for his constant
travelling. He says, “’…I must proclaim
the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been
sent.’” Jesus is intent on moving from
place to place because his message is vital.
The “Kingdom of God” is nothing less than God Himself. Jesus is saying that now God is at hand in a
way never seen before. Through Jesus God
gives the people practical help. Jesus
with God’s grace drives out demons, cures illnesses, and reconciles enemies.
Surely today the same message needs to be preached. In many ways the world is losing its
moorings. The increasing number of
refugees manifests the lack of social justice.
We need God to save us from our excesses and to lead us to genuine care
for one another. And so we are needed to
follow Jesus in proclaiming God to the world.
