Throughout his life, Jesus moved in the midst of sorrow and suffering, not necessarily because he was a woe-seeker, but because there was woe all around him. No doubt, this intentionality flows from the words he read aloud from Isaiah during his first recorded public appearance, words written in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus told us then: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recover of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
While each of the lectionary scriptures (Year C) for Lent and Holy Week guide our devotional writings, our reflections are composed against the backdrop of Jesus’ first recorded public pronouncement. He clearly identifies the categories of sorrow and suffering he intends to alleviate, which raises important questions for us:
- Who are the poor among us, the captives, the blind, the oppressed?
- What are the mechanisms we can use to bring them good news?
- What does it mean to proclaim the year of the Lord?
Traditionally, the Year of the Lord offers a counter-narrative to the fear and greed dominating our world and creating much of the sorrow and suffering Jesus means to alleviate. In this new reality, the year of the Lord, the Lord will restore economic balance, insure safety, and protect the vulnerable. This is the Good News Jesus offers and the Good News we hope you will find in these devotions.
