We are the poor, the needy, the captives and the blind

Let's examine the passage from Isaiah 61 that Jesus read in the Gospel for the 3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C).

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 bring 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.

This prophecy came true in Jesus Christ as he traveled through the region, taught, healed, exorcised and preached Good News to the poor, the desperate and the despairing. But how about us?

In order to appropriate this passage for ourselves, we need to hear it from a posture of humility and neediness. We need to look at ourselves and understand that in so many ways, we are the poor. What was your life like before you were seized by Jesus Christ? What would it be like if you rejected Him? And what is it like now during those times when you strip yourself of all the things you use to claim how well you’re doing, and simply kneel naked before the Lord and ask him to touch your life in ways you haven’t allowed yourself to do before.

Just a couple of questions will help:

• How are you poor? Despite all your wealth, in what area of your life are you destitute and needy?
• How are you a captive; what would liberty mean to you? Can I be set free from . . . . ?
• What have you been blind to, even though you think you know and understand so much? Look back and realize how much you couldn’t see 5 or 10 years ago before your eyes were opened?
• What oppresses you? A habit, an addiction, a sinful tendency, a toxic relationship, circumstances that cause you to suffer and where you feel helpless?

Finally, could it possibly be true that this year will be for you a special year, a year acceptable to the Lord as you continue to reflect, to contemplate, to think about your faith journey and to take the steps that the Lord invites you to take despite all the things that you think weigh you down permanently?