“He has sent me to tell the poor the Good News” (Lk. 4:14-22)

At the beginning of his Gospel, before narrating the life of Jesus, Luke wants to present his program. Jesus selects a passage from Isaiah and reads it to the neighbors of his town, so that they may better understand the Spirit who animates him and the task to which He dedicates himself body and soul. He feels sent to four groups: the poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed. Jesus’ first gaze is not directed at sin, but at the suffering that ruins lives. He feels anointed by the Spirit of a God who cares for those who suffer. It is that Spirit that pushes him to release, relieve, heal, and forgive. The Church is either of those who suffer, or it ceases to be the Church of Jesus. Let’s ask ourselves today; if we are not Good News for the poor, in what are we occupying ourselves?