[stephenkhoo]

PROCLAIMING LIBERATION THROUGH CHRIST’S EXISTENTIAL COMING

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 THESS 4:13-18; LK 4:16-30We are all seeking freedom.  It is freedom that makes us truly human.  To be free implies that we are capable of exercising our intellect and will.  The freedom that we seek ultimately is the freedom from suffering, injustice and meaninglessness.  The question is whether this promise of freedom is something that we can only realize in the future or something that belongs here and now.In the first reading, the early Christians thought that the day of liberation was near at hand as the Parousia was coming, albeit mistakenly.  This realization caused them to wonder what would happen to those who died before Him.  Consequently, Paul wrote to reassure them that those who died before Christ’s second coming would not be disadvantaged compared to those who are still alive when the Lord comes.  Since Christ is both Lord of the living and the dead, all will be raised to life.  Of course, we know that Paul and the early Christians were mistaken about the time of Christ’s return.  It was later on when the Second Coming was delayed that St Paul began to speak on the Exalted Christ who has already come.When we turn to the gospel, the emphasis of Jesus is certainly on the present liberation.  He astonished the audience by His proclamation that this prophecy “is being fulfilled today even as you listen.”  It is clear therefore that for Jesus, the Good News of liberation is not something which we experience only at the end of our lives.  We can already participate in this freedom from blindness, captivity and discouragement if we recognize that Jesus is both the bearer and message of the Kingdom of God in person, in His very being, in both word and deeds.There is certainly a tendency for us to fall into that Second Coming outlook which emphasizes the fulfillment at the end of time.  How can the coming of Christ with His Kingdom of authentic freedom from all suffering and sin be a reality in our lives now?  There are two ways to recognize and celebrate His living presence and His freedom in love in our midst, not only as a promise but also as a realized hope.Firstly, when we proclaim the Good News and live it in our lives. The Good News as enumerated in Isaiah and cited by Jesus indicated the way He lived His life.  If Jesus is the Good News in person, it is because Jesus Himself lived that life in freedom in love for His fellow human beings and for His Father.  By living a liberated life and by liberating others, He incarnates the Good News in person.  We do this too when we bring consolation to the poor, set people free to love, visit the sick, console the downhearted, etc.   Not only do we bring the Good News to others, but we also experience the Good News ourselves in doing so.More importantly, how do we proclaim the Good News concretely?  Who are the poor, the captives, the blind and the downtrodden among us?  We may not have those who are financially poor in our midst, but certainly those who are poor in love, poor in humility, poor in compassion and poor in eternal life.  Again, whilst none of us are physically blind, yet there are many of us who are blind to the reality about ourselves, the situations we are in or simply to the truth.  As for captives, we may be in bondage due to our hatred, unforgiveness and anger.  Finally, the downtrodden are those of us who are disheartened and discouraged because of repeated failures, low self-esteem or lack of faith and hope in the power of God to transform us and our situations.Being harbingers of Good News is not sufficient or even possible, unless we are also recipients of the Good News ourselves.  We cannot feel the Good News as real unless we are also open and humble to accept the Good News from others.  The Good News that comes from Jesus is the consequence of His personal experience of God as His loving Father.Why are we unable to receive the Good News from others?  Like the townsfolk of Jesus, we are too proud.  They thought they knew Jesus too well.  He was just one of them.  They knew His father.   But this was not the only reason they could not accept the teaching of Jesus.  What truly angered them was Jesus’ proclamation that the Good News prophesied by Isaiah is given to people who are non-Jews.  For them, it was simply impossible because they considered themselves to be the chosen people of God.  This explains why they never felt the need to reach out to others beyond their kind.  They kept the Good News to themselves.  They were not willing to share.  When we suffer from a myopic vision of God, then we will not be able to truly experience the Good News in our lives.  Unless we are able to see God present in everyone, especially in the poor and underprivileged and in sinners, we would have cut ourselves off from the Good News.What, then, is needed to empower us to receive the Good News and be Good News to others?  We need the same Holy Spirit that empowered Jesus and united Him with the Father.  Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, the Spirit of the Father’s love for His Son.  Only the Holy Spirit can enable us to be His messengers of love and also to recognize Him present in our midst, in our trials, struggles and even in our sinfulness.  To the extent we recognize the presence of the Messiah, of Christ in others and in our struggles – we become proclaimers of the Good News ourselves.  The liberation that Christ intends to bring to us is then already a reality here and now.- See more at: http://www.csctr.net/reflections/#sthash.CJh5tY3q.dpuf