Thursday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:19–5:4
Beloved, we love God because
he first loved us.
If anyone says, “I love God,”
but hates his brother, he is a liar;
for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen
cannot love God whom he has not seen.
This is the commandment we have from him:
Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves also the one begotten by him.
In this way we know that we love the children of God
when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this,
that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 72:1-2, 14 and 15bc, 17
R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
From fraud and violence he shall redeem them,
and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
May they be prayed for continually;
day by day shall they bless him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Alleluia Luke 4:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Luke 4:14-22
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.
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
January 9, 2025 // Thursday after Epiphany
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 4:14-22
Reflect on the Word //
I walked into the chapel that morning so drained physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I was trying so hard to give out of an empty cup this season. So, like the other mornings that week, I came in with heavy eyelids and a heart that just kept asking: How on on earth am I going to have the strength to give today? As our team prayed out loud that morning to care for the poor and weak around us, I heard the Lord say to me: You are the poor I am talking about.
In the midst of caring for the poor around me, I had lost sight that He wanted to come to my own poor heart as well. More than bringing the Gospel to students, leading Bible studies, making killer spreadsheets for the team, or leading incredible retreats, He wanted to bring me the Good News first. It is in this place and this place only that we can give to others. First, by receiving the Gospel in our own poverty, and then in great joy and fullness bringing the Good News to all others.
The glory of Jesus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy is in Him embracing that he has been anointed “to bring glad tidings to the poor” (Luke 4:18-20). His priority is to restore our places of poverty. He wants to bring each and every single one of us the joyful and rich Good News of the Gospel. What an unbelievable joy to know that we do not graduate from being poor, but to know that it is precisely in our poverty that Christ comes to bring His goodness, His strength, His anointing, and His love.
I have no doubt we will all be asked to bring the “glad tidings” of the Gospel to the poor in our vocations as spouses, mothers, daughters, sisters, teachers, leaders, or simply as good friends. But we cannot forget that we must first let the Lord bring the Good News to the poverty in our own hearts. This is His great joy and what He has been anointed from the beginning of time to do.
Relate to the Lord // Reread the Gospel today. What poverty in your heart do you need Jesus to touch?
Mariana Pimiento is a Colombia-born storyteller and artist. She enjoys big dinners with her Colombian family, talking about Theology of the Body, and any chance for a bonfire. The preaching Dominican friars brought her back to the Catholic faith while a student in New York City. Mariana served several years as a FOCUS missionary and now continues college ministry work in Nashville. Find out more about her here.
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