Monday 8 March

Today is Monday the 8 March, in the third week of Lent.  

The community of Taizé sing Wait for the Lord. ‘Wait for the Lord, his day is near.  Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart.’  

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke.  

Luke 4:24-30

And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.  

We meet Jesus here in Nazareth, in his home synagogue. He has just read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which tells of the promises of the coming Messiah who will bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, and of the oppressed who will go free. Jesus tells the people of his home town, “Today this has been fulfilled in your hearing.” But in today’s reading brings a sense of anger rather than excitement; rejection instead of acceptance of Jesus’s proclamation. Have there been times that you’ve experienced this, perhaps when talking to others about your faith? How did this feel?    

We read that the Synagogue was filled with rage. How do imagine this scene unfolding? What does this ‘rage’ look like in your mind?  

Continue imagining the scene as you listen to the reading again…    

In the midst of anger and rejection from the crowd, we hear that Jesus passed through them and simply went on his way. Imagine now, that you are leaving the crowd and simply ‘going on your way’ with Jesus…what is it like to walk with him?  

You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.