January 24, 2016: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Malala Yousafzai is passionate about education for girls and women.

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21)

Reflection:

At a young age, Malala Yousafzai had a passion for education. She felt called to speak out about the right to education for all girls and women. In today’s gospel, we read that Jesus also knew his mission, and he felt passionate about sharing God’s message of love, mercy, and justice by his words and actions.

Action:

Choose something that is important to you—your passion for nonviolence, music, the environment, and so on. This week begin working on your cause…for example: pick up litter, walk your family dog, play with your younger sister of brother, spend extra time on a special skill (piano, basketball, math).