THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY - Gospel (Luke 4:14-22) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.” (Lk 4:18)

FIRST READING - 1 Jn 4:19-5:4

"Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

A reading from the Letter of 1 John

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ 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^[a] whom he has not seen. ²¹ This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

^1 [b]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. ² In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. ³ For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, ⁴ for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 4:14-22a

"Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

✠From the Gospel according to Luke

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread^[a] throughout the whole region. ¹⁵ He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

^{b] 16} He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom^[c] into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read ¹⁷ and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,^[d]    

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,

¹⁹ and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

²⁰ 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. ²¹ He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”^{[e] 22} And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”

THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY - Gospel (Luke 4:14-22)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today's Word of God, God proclaims that the Kingdom of God has come and is among all humanity.

He proclaims that the most high God has appeared and fulfilled the words that the ancient prophets announced about Him—a Messiah who comes to save all humanity, frees mankind from the captivity of Satan, and brings eternal life to humankind.

And to this day, under the activity of the Holy Spirit, He continues to call all His children in this world to believe that the Word Jesus Christ preached long ago is the truth, that His coming into the world to bring salvation to mankind is the truth, that the Word He taught in the Holy Scripture is the truth, and that His call to mankind is to reject all sin and wicked deeds, to abandon the way of Satan, and to return to God the Father, so that His light and Spirit may dwell within their very soul and body, leading to eternal life.

The Word of God has been fulfilled from ancient times to this very day: all who believe in His power and believe that the word Jesus Christ taught in Sacred Scripture is the truth will be filled with God’s grace, peace, and happiness, dwelling within their very soul and body.

God's Word today calls upon all humanity to trust absolutely in the power of God the Father; He can do all things, there is nothing He cannot do.

And the prophecy of Jesus Christ is the truth. To this very day, God the Father continues to call His children to ask for more grace of Faith, grace of conversion, and grace of healing for both soul and body, so that He Himself may come and sanctify their soul and body, freeing them from the captivity of Satan.

And the Word of Jesus calls everyone to repent and abandon the path of sin so that He may dwell within their soul and body.

Their soul and body will be liberated by God the Father from the captivity of Satan and brought into the future eternal Kingdom of Heaven to enjoy happiness.

And all the Word Jesus Christ taught in the Holy Scripture have been fulfilled in those people who knew how to listen to the Word of God the Father and put it into practice from ancient times until now.

And now, the Word of God the Father will continue to be proclaimed to all people in this world. Listen to the Word of God the Father and put it into practice; trust absolutely that the Word Jesus Christ taught in the Holy Scripture is the truth.

And in this era, under the activity of the Holy Spirit, He continues to grant the Present Word of God to recall the Word Jesus Christ taught in the Holy Scripture long ago.

Whoever is wise, let them seek the Word of God the Father; whoever is wise, let them run to the Present Word of God to remember the Word Jesus Christ instructed in the Holy Scripture and put it into practice.

Thanks be to God. Amen.