Gospel Reflection for The 9th day of January in the year of Our Lord, 2025
Luke 4:14-22
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the spirit, into Galilee, and the fame of him went out through the whole country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, and was magnified by all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he was brought up: and he went into the synagogue, according to his custom, on the sabbath day; and he rose up to read. 17 And the book of Isaias the prophet was delivered unto him. And as he unfolded the book, he found the place where it was written: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Wherefore he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart, 19 To preach deliverance to the captives, and sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of reward. 20 And when he had folded the book, he restored it to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
21 And he began to say to them: This day is fulfilled this scripture in your ears. 22 And all gave testimony to him: and they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth, and they said: Is not this the son of Joseph?
The teaching of Jesus in the Temple was astounding, but few understood His meaning. For centuries, the Hebrew people had followed the Law of Moses. As the New Testament makes clear, they were slaves to the Law and prisoners of the Law. Jesus came to set them free. This is what is meant by His words in the Gospel of Matthew, “Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.”
This seems somewhat of an odd statement in modern times. After all, the Catholic Church asks so much more of us than do Protestant Churches or the secular world. We have days of fasting and abstaining from meat which can be quite unpleasant. We have Holy Days of Obligation when we are required to attend Mass. We are asked to say lengthy prayers like the Rosary the Te Deum and the Litany of Loretto. We must avoid sin and go to Confession when we fail. We are taught to deny ourselves, to serve and to embrace suffering.
However, compared to all of the regulations and ceremonies of the Jewish Law, being Catholic is much easier. The Law was purposefully burdensome to make the Hebrew people constantly aware of their covenant with God. Few, if any, could keep the entire Law without violating at least its smaller points. For this reason, sacrifices were continually offered in the Temple for sin. Christians are no longer “slaves to the Law” as Saint Paul said. Compared to Protestants who have removed all traditions of ceremony from their services and, along with the secular world, deny that sin will prevent one from going to Heaven through their “once saved always saved” heresy, there is no doubt that their burden is lighter. But, we must remember that Jesus promised us suffering and teaches that the road to hell is wide and easy while the path to Heaven is narrow and difficult.
Truly, life would have been easier had I remained Protestant. But, I believe it was the prominent Lutheran, Philip Melanchthon who wrote, "The Protestant faith is the best one to live in, but the Catholic is the best to die in," and, " The new religion makes the best show, the Catholic gives most security." Oddly enough, I found a similar quote attributed to Martin Luther, “It is easier to live as a Protestant but better to die as a Catholic.” Regardless the author, I understand the sentiment. Once I became convinced of the truth of the Catholic Church, I had no choice but to become Catholic, regardless the hardships. It is as Saint Peter told our Lord, when Jesus asked him if he would turn away because His teachings were too hard to accept, “Where would we go Lord? Only, you have the words of eternal life.” My conscience would not allow compromise. And indeed, the words of Christ have echoed throughout my life ever since, “You will be universally hated on account of my name; but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
I cannot change things. I cannot make people accept me. I can only hope and pray to persevere, to stand firm to the end. I certainly found a church that would be true to the words of Christ. He said that we would be hated because He was hated. As the saying goes, “I have been called everything but a child of God!” I continue to pray constantly for a wife, kids and a supportive community…. I have not given up. But truly, I had no choice but to convert to Catholicism and no matter what, I have no choice but to remain Catholic and to strive to be a better and more faithful Catholic daily. Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me;” rejection by the world is simply our cross to bear.
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January-June, 2025 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK3M1WDZ
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His new podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic