In the first reading, Ezra, the priest, proclaimed the Law of God before the assembly, on the first day of the seventh month. This day, also known as Rosh Hashanah, is one of the most holy days in the Jewish calendar and is also the first day of the Jewish new year. Nehemiah, leader of the people, said “Go eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is our stronghold.”
The events that happened in the first reading (the Old Testament) served as a precursor to its fulfilment in the Gospel reading (The New Testament). On the sabbath day, Jesus, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, went into a synagogue in Nazareth and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus, our High Priest, proclaimed to the assembly: “The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and to the blind, new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.” Jesus then declared that the prophecy in Isaiah’s scripture passage was fulfilled in Him.
There is a strong parallel between the first reading and the Gospel reading. For instance, ‘Ezra, the priest, proclaimed the Law of God before the assembly in Jerusalem’ is mirrored in ‘Jesus, our High Priest, proclaimed the scroll of Isaiah in a synagogue in Nazareth’. Also, ‘Ezra, proclaimed at the start of the Jewish new year, “a day sacred to our Lord”’, and ‘Jesus, proclaimed at the start of His ministry, “the Lord’s year of favour”’. Again, when Nehemiah said: “…send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready”, Jesus proclaimed: “He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor”.
When Jesus proclaimed from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, He was declaring His mission manifesto. In baptism, we are gifted with the power of the Holy Spirit to continue His mission.
St. Paul, in the 2nd reading, shows us the way. He uses the image of a body to explain Christ’s relationship with the believers. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we, despite of our diversity in race, social background or gender are integrated into one organism, that is the Body of Christ. The different spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit must be used for the common purpose of building up the community. Each of us must play our part and contribute our particular talent and speciality, then can we be like the Corinthian community, living as the Body of Christ.
Written by
Coro di Velli Angeli