Wandering Christian

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Luke 4:14-21 - Third Sunday after the Epiphany (year C)
The Bible (New International Version)

The sensation of coming back home is always wonderful, especially if one has been through diverse places, seen so many people and tasted different cultures. And I would dare to say that nothing compares to the "home" we had when we were children. It did not matter if we were rich or poor, if home was a sumptuous palace or just the lap of your mother... Those were good times, anyway. We had fun all day, no worries, no fears... So, the idea of coming home is always related to this sense of an "innocent love" we can find only there: everlasting memories that stay forever in our minds. As people say: "there's no place like home".

Unfortunately, this "innocent past" does not come back. We can visit those places that speak to our heart and remember those memories. However, we cannot have them anymore. As Adam and Eve were taken out of the garden of Eden - the paradise on Earth, we are separate from these moments, and a sense of "not being at home" follows us. Nonetheless, we keep going to special places just to "live again" small glimpses of the good life we had in the past.

And if we force our imagination a bit, we can picture those streets of Nazareth: full of dust and sand... That quiet village near the desert, with simple houses and such a fresh air! And I can see our Lord Jesus walking through the same streets where he played with his friends when He was a child. The same streets he crossed several times carrying wood for St. Joseph's business... And for a moment I can picture Him breathing that familiar air and walking slowly towards the synagogue - the same house of worship he has attended for years.

What would we do if we were there? I imagine I would talk to my friends, stay with my relatives and relax. That would be my way of remembering and reflecting the love I felt while I lived there. I would never think of proclaiming something new or announcing the fulfillment of a prophecy. However, Jesus felt he needed to go there, to his hometown, visit its synagogue and read Isaiah's prophecy. He could have gone to the Temple in Jerusalem. He could have gone to more sumptuous synagogues. Nonetheless, He chose that one, that was so familiar to him. That was His home.

And what does He proclaim there? He proclaims a message that is embroided in the core of the Gospel, but has been long forgotten. And even in our times, it is kept hidden as a secret. And this message is: God loves us unconditionally. And the Spirit, this ethereal entity and mystic face of the Most Holy Trinity, anointed Jesus, the Son of God, to preach these good news, which we call "the Gospel".

But Our Lord Jesus does not stop there. He deliberately reinterprets that text, including a commandment to release the oppressed. Of course the blind, the captives and all those Jews who were mourning are oppressed. However, Jesus cannot concentrate His ministry on just those people anymore. Because He was sent to reconcile the world... And more than that, He came to set God's love as the only needed law for us to know, and to implement this Gospel as the fuel that generates proper energy to stimulate our existence here.

So, nothing more is needed to be read, and He rolls up the scroll. He does not need to speak of God's vengeance (which would be the next verse). That is not His focus. He came for us to have salvation, and to be reconciled with God, our "home", our "garden of Eden".

Our Lord Jesus Christ went home in order to preach the Gospel for the entire world, so that the entire world would be home for us who follow Our Lord Jesus Christ's Gospel.

And all of us know that this world is far from being "home" to us. It is a sad and dark place. However, I have hope that this small group of people who gather together regardless of age, color of skin, sexuality, educational level, salary... that this group might be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord, to heal those who are oppressed, and to release them from their fears. Because it is time we proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and turn this world into His home, His house of worship, His second Eden, where no one would have a sense of "not belonging", where all would be one... forever.

Sermonette preached at the Church on the Streets (Ecclesia Ministries) of the Anglican Diocese of Rio de Janeiro, in 01/20/2007.

Further reading:
Luke 4
Isaiah 61

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos,
Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee;
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
For thou hast borne the saviour of our souls.
Byzantine Rite and Eastern Orthodox Angelic Salutation (Hail Mary), based on the Gospel according to Saint Luke

I often get very impressed when I find out that, to some people, a simple Ave Maria can be more offensive than advocating homosexual blessings, equal rights to ordination, and other controversial issues. And it is unbelievable that the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has always been a central figure in Christianity, has been forgotten by so many people, especially nowadays.

It is true that little was said about Mary at the beginning. She was a woman, after all, and women were considered second-class citizens among Jewish people at that time. Also, she was probably illiterate, and could not leave anything written. So, it is expected that only the most relevant events about her life would be found in the Holy Scripture. However, such passages were so deep that, if merged with information people at that time had about her (and that, later, was regrouped by Tradition), one can infer that Mary plays an important role in Christianity.

And, of course, there was always "something about Mary". Even when Marian devotion was disencouraged, it would come back even stronger, and often tied to supernatural events. The Oxford movement that happened within the Church of England, and later has gotten widespread, with the label of "Anglo-Catholicism" was merely an explosion of beliefs that were natural to many, but kept in secret. But if a lack of care for Mary would be disrespectful, an extreme Marian devotion can be considered idolatry as well. So, where would be a secure and balanced location to place her in the 3^rd Millennium? Is the Virgin just a chimera from the past or does she still speak to our hearts today?

First of all, Mary is a symbol of purity. It is known to many that God has chosen her, among all women, to be the one who would have His only begotten Son in her womb. Of course, God is God, and therefore, He is miraculous. God did not need to manifest this way. Nobody fully understands the mystery behind the Incarnation (and some do not even believe in it the traditional way), but there is something behind this story that still touches me... He has chosen her, which means that He appreciated her very much. And, of course, God loves all mankind, but the fact that he saw grace and virtue in her shows us that this God we worship is not related to palaces and beautiful garments. He is much more interested in our hearts. And he has seen the sanctity in Mary's heart. She shows us that a human being can be holy unto the Lord and an agent of His uncountable blessings...

Mary also represents a group of people who have been ignored by mankind until then: women. Women were often considered inferior beings. They were seen as futile, weak and less intelligent people, whose only reason to exist was reproduction. However, God transferred Mary from that disgraceful place society had placed her to His holiness. And we can extend this concept to all who were marginalized in our tormentuous world: racial, sexual and religious minorities, slaves, the poor, the elderly, children... Through Mary, we find out that God cares about all His children, and that there is no special group of people who are more loved by Him. As the "second Eve", she restores us back to the state of full equality before God, and shows us a path of salvation through His Son.

Mary brings us the concept of motherhood. Her life is an example of how we should behave as parents. And it is obvious that parents are the first people we direct our affections to. When we think of Mary holding, feeding and caring for the infant Jesus, we deeply desire to act like her with our children, and also to have her as our own "higher" mother. The Holy Mother of God is central to our understanding of parenthood in the midst of our calamitous society. She should be the light that guides us through our family lives everyday.

Mary is, still, a symbol of submission. She never doubted that she had to follow God's will. We never see in her any sign of reluctance. She was always there, at His command, and ready to follow His desire. When we become like Her, we become His full servants. Our will is therefore, God's will. And, through her actions, she commands us to let God rule our lives, the same way Jesus tells us be when we say the Lord's Prayer.

To be like the Blessed Virgin Mary is, after all, to be special to God, and graceful to His eyes... a living blessing. To be like the Mother of God is to carry Jesus inside us, and, the same way He was nurtured in her womb, we must nurture the Christ that lives inside us, by following his commandments. To be like the Holy Virgin Mary is to show we, simple human beings, can follow her steps and be holy to God. To be blessed among women, is to know that women are as blessed as men. To be like the Joy of all who Sorrow is to be equal to anybody in God's eyes... is to be human, and therefore, sensitive to people's sufferings. To be like the Queen of the World is to know that our lives must follow her example, and our families should be like her family was. To be like the second Eve is a way of showing a complete submission to God's will.

Loving Mother of Our Savior, Lady of Angels, Virgin Theotokos, Star of the Sea, Queen of Peace, Queen of Heaven, Our Rose, Seat of Wisdom, Our Lady... Mary points us to the divine - the one who came to redeem the world: Jesus Christ. Let us follow her example and rejoice, for the King of Universe has come.

Further reading:
Luke 1