Thursday after Epiphany

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.

The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

–       Lord, give courage and eloquence to all teachers in the Church, that they may help us understand your word and proclaim it as good news to all, we pray:

–       Lord, open our eyes to the miseries of people; make us concerned about those imprisoned in their fears and in the grip of injustice. Help us to bring them liberation, we pray:

–       Lord, make us receptive to your word. Free us from banality and fear, from our self-security and certainties. Let your word of freedom be fulfilled in us today, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Invisible God of people,
you let your Son ask of us today
to make your gratuitous love visible
in a world filled with fear.
Give us Jesus to eat and to drink,
that we may overcome
the forces of evil in and around us.
Let his self-sacrificing love,
his gentleness and loyalty
become flesh and blood in us
and brighten this world,
because you loved us first
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord God, loving Father,
this Eucharistic celebration has been for us
a moment of grace.
We thank you for opening our eyes and ears
that we, in our turn,
may be to the deaf and the blind your message of joy.
We thank you for liberating us
to bring your freedom to those captive
of their fears and our own inhumanity.
All this you have made possible
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

We will make the message of our Lord Jesus Christ good news of hope and joy only if the Spirit of truth and love speaks in our words and if then we commit ourselves to what we say, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTIONS

Mercy as the Last Word

Jesus declares his mission, quoting Isaiah. The audience is enthralled, but not for long. Soon there is a change in response. If we read further, we know that the audience rose up seething in anger, wanting to hurl him off the cliff. Why? Because Jesus did the unthinkable. The verse in Isaiah ends thus: “to announce the Lord’s year of mercy and the day of his vengeance.” Jesus breaks the sentence, stops at mercy, closes the book. For Jews who have suffered cycles of slavery, humiliation, and death at the hands of their enemies, experience of redemption must coincide with vengeance on enemies. This link is simply unbreakable. We are no different. We experience peace when our enemies perish. We have closure only when revenge is meted out. Not for Jesus. For him, mercy is the last word, period.

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Luke 4:14-22  

Encountering Jesus in the 'Today' of Our Lives

In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins his public ministry by proclaiming the Word from Isaiah anddeclares, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled.” This word, TODAY, resonates beyond His time, reminding us that God’s Word is not distant history but a living reality that speaks to us here and now.  

As Christians navigating our daily lives, we face challenges that pull us away from the immediacy of God’s presence. Yet, Jesus’ proclamation calls us to embrace the Word of God as active and capable of bringing light and meaning into our daily struggles. The today of Jesus urges us to seek His guidance not just in extraordinary moments but in the mundane realities of our lives.  

This reflection encourages us to think about the way the Word of God is shared and embraced in our communities. Preaching without the Spirit’s anointing risks becoming vague and disconnected, leaving hearts unmoved. Instead, the Word should resonate with the Spirit'spower, speaking to the genuine joys, fears, and needs of the faithful.  

TODAY, let us commit to engaging with God’s Word daily. A small passage, read and contemplated, can illuminate our lives and infuse our ordinary days with God’s presence. As the Church journeys synodally, listening to the Spirit and to one another, the Word of God remains our compass, guiding us toward unity and renewal.  

Let us carry the Gospel with us—on our travels, in our pockets, or in our hearts—and allow its living power to transform our outlook, bring us joy, and draw us closer to God’s plan for TODAY. May we, like Mary, treasure the Word and live its message with faith and perseverance.

1 John 4:19–5:4

God's love initiates ours, as St. John declares: "We love because he first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). This divine precedence, manifest in sending his Son (1 Jn 4:9–10), undergirds all Christian charity, echoing Jn 3:16. Without it, human love falters.

True love of God demands fraternal love: "Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars" (1 Jn 4:20). St. Augustine insists loving God's children proves love for the Father and Son, for "the sons of God are the Body of the Only Son of God." The commandment binds them: love God, love neighbor (1 Jn 4:21).

Faith births divine sonship: "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God" (1 Jn 5:1a), linking begetter and begotten in love (5:1b). We know we love God's children "when we love God and obey his commandments" (5:2), for "the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments" (5:3a)—not burdensome, empowered by grace.

Liturgical Reflection

In the liturgy, this passage invites us to conquer the world through faith (1 Jn 5:4), the victory over sin and division. God's prior love, celebrated in Eucharist, perfects ours: abide in Him, obey in charity. Amid trials, recall Christ's command: love as I have loved (Jn 13:34). Let perfect love cast out fear (1 Jn 4:18), bearing fruit that endures.