THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C
YOU ARE MY HOPE
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
MESSAGE
Have you ever experienced putting your hope on someone’s promise? It felt exciting, thrilling even, to think that something good will ensue from a person’s words. Promises awaken in us a sense of anticipation, security, and certainty. Until time lapses and the promise is never heard of again, obscurity takes over clarity, and disappointment sets in. Well, they say, promises are made to be broken.
In the Gospel today, we see the exact opposite of a broken promise, for today God reminds his people: “I have promised and I will do it! I made a promise and now I fulfill it.” As Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah, the people hear the promise once again. And as people look on him who reads it, they actually see that promise fulfilled. Here is the One full of the Spirit of the Lord, who uplifts the poor, frees the captives, restores sight, liberates the suffering.
In Jesus, the Father gives the whole world hope. He is the hope our hearts yearn for. He is the hope that sets our hearts on fire with trust, with confidence, with assurance that God has not forgotten us. People can make promises – politicians, leaders, lovers, teachers, guides – and fall short of its realization. But God makes a promise and actually makes it happen. Jesus is our hope that God is true to his word. His word, his actions, his presence, and his power do not disappoint but ever encourage us to believe. “Today the Scripture is fulfilled.”
REFLECT
If you have ever been betrayed by someone, it is hard to trust in a promise again. But try putting your hope in God and you will never feel forgotten, abandoned, or disappointed. Turn to Jesus and allow your heart to be on fire with hope again. Yes, things will still change for the better, truth will prevail, and the future with God will bring joy and peace.
