Jesus inaugurates his ministry as the fulfillment of a promise. This is his State of the Community address. He has come to proclaim liberty to captives, give sight to the blind, bring good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed. Jesus still carries out this mission through word and sacrament. He feeds us, heals us, conquers sin and death for us. He frees us to be the best person and disciple we can be. As we find our fulfillment in Him, he sends us forth with the same inaugural message.
In terms of freedom, we are called to be a people of forgiveness, freeing ourselves and others from grudges that refuse to heal. We bring insight to those who may have lost or who cannot find their way. We bring liberty through our example and encouragement. In short, we are called to be the good news of the saving power and presence of the Lord here and now. As a Christian community, we seek to grow in our faith, hope and love each day so that we too might be a part of the fulfillment of God’s promise. This is why we are anointed in Christ.
Right now, there is a great deal of discouragement with and in our Church, but we go on because deep in our hearts we know that God is still with us. He is rebuilding his Church one heart and soul at a time and He invites us to be a part of that mission of building a new era rooted in his Law of love. Nourished by the Eucharist, we take up our mission with the vision, courage and strength of Jesus who is still with us. This mission comes to us in faith and through our work to build a better world one heart at a time. At the end of our lives, it would be truly wonderful to hear Jesus say to us, “well done, good and faithful servant, you have fulfilled your promise.”