I been in the right place but it must have been the wrong time! These lyrics come courtesy of Dr. John and we all can relate to these lyrics. Sometimes this saying is used to describe some tragedy that befalls an innocent bystander: "he was in the right place but the wrong time." Others put a twist on these lyrics and instead use the old double negative: wrong place, wrong time. Now if we can be in the wrong place at the wrong time, it reasons that the opposite can be just as true. Yes, we can be at the right place at the right time just like all of us are right now. Yes, you and I, present for this Holy Mass, are most decidely at the right place at the right time.
As people of faith, Jesus calls us to always be at the right place at the right time.
And that is where we find Jesus today as we return to the Gospel of St. Luke. We hear today that Jesus, as a faithful Jew, shows us the importance of church. It is the sabbath and where do we find the Son of God, at church, in the synagogue. Just a little reminder for all our Catholic faithful; if its Sunday, we should be found in church, in our case, at the Mass. At each Mass we are privileged to hear the procalmation of the Gospel, along with the other readings from Sacred Scripture. These readings are not merely read, they are proclaimed. Even though we use lectors for the first two readings, a cantor for the psalm and a Priest or Deacon for the Gosepl, this proclaiming of the Word is for us to realize that God Himself is speaking to us. For our part, we are called to hear the Word. Now I realize many of us at Mass prefer to read along in our missalettes but I'd like to challenge us today to really try hearing. In each of today's readings we are taught about the importance of hearing. In the Gospel, as Jesus takes his place in the synagogue, He proclaims the Scriptures from Isaiah's prophecy about Him. Jesus proclaimes the Word and the people hear Him. Jesus even says at the end of this Gospel passage: "today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your HEARING." You could say that this simple declarative sentence is in fact the first public homily by Jesus after He proclaimed the Word.
Before I leave this Gospel it is important that we all understand that according to Luke, this was Jesus being in the right place at the right time. In Luke's narrative, we have completed all the stories of his conception, birth and infancy and He has been preparing for His public ministry. He has been baptized and tempted by Satan and He is ready to initiate His public ministry now. And He does so by going to Church, proclaiming the Word and preaching to all of us that it indeed is He who has come to bring glad tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, restore sight to the blind and to let the oppressed go free. Jesus Christ is always in the right place at the right time and He perfectly fulfills the will of the Father.
So having heard the proclamation from Jesus, having heard His first homily, what does this mean to us, this week? What is Jesus asking of me in this week's Gospel? Perhaps Jesus is asking of us to live the Gospel message more completely each week. Therefore, in the week ahead we could read and reread this passage and rest with the proclamation of Jesus. In our prayer time this week, ask Jesus to bless our hearing as we focus on trying to hear what He asks of us. For this task, we will need to use our ears yes, and the ears of our hearts as well! And because we are asked to always be doers of the Word, not just hearers, can we select someone this week who desperately needs the gift of presence? Be present to someone you know who is lonely or hurting and listen to them; truly listen. Hear what they have to say in their current condition. And as we pray or visit with others in this week ahead, ask God to bless you with the gift of hearing so that we can be blessed and at the same time, be a blessing to others.
So Dr. John might have been in the right place but it might have been the wrong time. IF we truly hear Jesus and rest in His Word, and become doers of the Word; it will always be the right place, at the right time!
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