Today we hear from the Gospel of Luke, which will be the primary gospel source for the year. And in this Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, Luke asks us to understand why he decided to write a gospel, "I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you…so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received."

The Gospel of Luke was written around 85 AD and was intended for a Greek Christian community living under Rome’s political rule. We can imagine, as Biblical scholars tell us, that as a new faith community living in confusing times, there were many issues confronting them: from the issues of political and religious persecutions to pastoral issues , e.g., how does one behave at the table of the Lord (the Eucharist), how do we handle and distribute common community goods, how do we select and form good leaders, and how are different members reconciled together; not to mention the questions of "is this faith trustworthy and true"—especially in light of basing our salvation on it. Many of these issues are still with us today—the more things change the more, the stay the same—natural in any pastoral setting.

Today’s gospel speaks to us from Chapter Four where Jesus declares He will proclaim a year of mercy acceptable to the Lord. Luke wants us to understand that the gospel is all about forming for us a solid foundation in the Christian life from which we will benefit. It is good for us to hear and see this in light of Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy and how we as the Church Universal and individual members of that Mystical Body ,ay proclaim God’s Mercy in our families, friendships, work relationships and through the daily activities of our lives. Sister Mariette Moan, ASCJ, and Vicar for Religious in the Archdiocese of Hartford recently spoke to "Living a Spirituality of the Heart in this Year of Mercy" in our parish.

The Gospel Message of Christ and all that the Catholic Church teaches boils down to this: how do we apply our ancient and loving faith in-and-through our modern lives to an ever changing world? We must always remember that the truth remains the same, for it is truth, but how we are called to proclaim that truth may change. Last week’s Gospel on the wedding feast at Cana also spoke to this topic: Where there is Christ, there is life; where Christ is not, there is decay. Our choice is this: will we choose Christ and be a bringer of life into our world or will we deny Christ and be a bringer of decay into our world. Nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time.