Pope: Jesus, prophet of Truth
Below is a translation of the Holy Father’s Angelus reflection:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today's Gospel - taken from the fourth chapter of St. Luke - is the continuation of that on last Sunday. We are still in the synagogue of Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up and where everyone knows him and his family. Now, after a period of absence, he returned in a new way: during the liturgy of the Sabbath law a prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah and announces the completion, suggesting that the word refers to Him, that Isaiah spoke of Him . This fact caused the shock of the Nazarenes: on the one hand, "all gave him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth" (Lk 4:22); St. Mark reports that many said, "Where are the these things? What kind of wisdom is that it has been given?" (6.2). On the other hand, however, his neighbors know him too well: It like us - they say -. "His claim can not be a presumption that" (cf. The childhood of Jesus, 11). "Is not this Joseph's son?" (Lk 4:22), as if to say a carpenter of Nazareth, which may have aspirations?
Just knowing this closure, which confirms the saying "no prophet is accepted in his own country," Jesus spoke to the people in the synagogue, words that sound like a provocation. Name two miracles performed by the great prophets Elijah and Elisha in favor of non-Israelite people, to show that sometimes there is more faith outside of Israel. At that point the reaction was unanimous: all rise and hunt out, and even try to throw him off a cliff, but he calmly sovereign, passes through the people angry and leaves. At this point the question arises: why Jesus wanted to cause this failure? At first people were admired him, and perhaps he could get a consensus ... But this is precisely the point: Jesus did not come to seek the consent of men, but - as he said at the end Pilate - to "give testimony the truth" (Jn 18:37). The true prophet does not obey other than God and place themselves at the service of truth, ready to pay in person. It 's true that Jesus is the prophet of love, but love has its own truth. Indeed, love and truth are two names for the same reality, two names of God in the liturgy today echo these words of St. Paul: "Love ... does not boast, is not puffed up with pride, it is not disrespectful, does not seek its own interests, does not get angry, do not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth" (1 Cor 13.4-6). To believe in God is to give up their prejudices and accept the concrete face when He is revealed, the man Jesus of Nazareth. And this way leads also to recognize him and serve him in others.
This is illuminating the attitude of Mary. Who better than she was familiar with the humanity of Jesus? But she was never shocked as the villagers of Nazareth. She cherished in her heart and knew the mystery welcome more and again and again, the path of faith, until the night of the Cross and in the full light of the Resurrection. Mary also help us to walk in truth and with joy this path.
Today's Gospel - taken from the fourth chapter of St. Luke - is the continuation of that on last Sunday. We are still in the synagogue of Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up and where everyone knows him and his family. Now, after a period of absence, he returned in a new way: during the liturgy of the Sabbath law a prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah and announces the completion, suggesting that the word refers to Him, that Isaiah spoke of Him . This fact caused the shock of the Nazarenes: on the one hand, "all gave him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth" (Lk 4:22); St. Mark reports that many said, "Where are the these things? What kind of wisdom is that it has been given?" (6.2). On the other hand, however, his neighbors know him too well: It like us - they say -. "His claim can not be a presumption that" (cf. The childhood of Jesus, 11). "Is not this Joseph's son?" (Lk 4:22), as if to say a carpenter of Nazareth, which may have aspirations?
Just knowing this closure, which confirms the saying "no prophet is accepted in his own country," Jesus spoke to the people in the synagogue, words that sound like a provocation. Name two miracles performed by the great prophets Elijah and Elisha in favor of non-Israelite people, to show that sometimes there is more faith outside of Israel. At that point the reaction was unanimous: all rise and hunt out, and even try to throw him off a cliff, but he calmly sovereign, passes through the people angry and leaves. At this point the question arises: why Jesus wanted to cause this failure? At first people were admired him, and perhaps he could get a consensus ... But this is precisely the point: Jesus did not come to seek the consent of men, but - as he said at the end Pilate - to "give testimony the truth" (Jn 18:37). The true prophet does not obey other than God and place themselves at the service of truth, ready to pay in person. It 's true that Jesus is the prophet of love, but love has its own truth. Indeed, love and truth are two names for the same reality, two names of God in the liturgy today echo these words of St. Paul: "Love ... does not boast, is not puffed up with pride, it is not disrespectful, does not seek its own interests, does not get angry, do not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth" (1 Cor 13.4-6). To believe in God is to give up their prejudices and accept the concrete face when He is revealed, the man Jesus of Nazareth. And this way leads also to recognize him and serve him in others.
This is illuminating the attitude of Mary. Who better than she was familiar with the humanity of Jesus? But she was never shocked as the villagers of Nazareth. She cherished in her heart and knew the mystery welcome more and again and again, the path of faith, until the night of the Cross and in the full light of the Resurrection. Mary also help us to walk in truth and with joy this path.
