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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me understand that we all like to share our stories, and listen when someone else is telling a story! Amen.

Jesus went to the temple [like a church] in His town and read from the Torah, the Jewish Bible. "The Spirit of the Lord is in me," He read. "He has sent me to make the poor happy, make the blind see, and tell you that it's time for God to save His people." Jesus looked at everyone and said, "Today, this reading has come true."

How often do you want to interrupt when a friend is telling a story, because something a lot like that story happened to you? We all feel excited to share things in common, whether it's tripping over a dog's leash, seeing a favorite teacher at the mall or skiing for the first time.

In this week's Gospel (Lk 1:1-4;4:14-21), Jesus has an amazing experience: He reads about a prophet in the Torah, the Jewish Bible, and the passage He reads could be about Him!

Why do people like having similar stories to tell? It could be that someone's story is funny and you want friends to laugh about your experience, too; or that story is impressive, and you want to impress people. It could simply be that everyone enjoys a good story.

It could also be the fact that it's reassuring to have things in common with other people. We feel closer to one another when we have similar experiences.

Jesus had grown up going to temple and studying the Torah, so the passage He read wouldn't have been new to Him. But it must have been reassuring, as He prepared to start teaching people about God, to be reminded that others had done the same thing before Him!

Whatever story you tell, you're usually not the first person ever to have that experience. Jesus was not the first person to act as a prophet of God. But He was doing it in a whole new way. When Jesus read about being sent by God to "make the poor happy, make the blind see, and tell you that it's time for God to save His people," He really meant it. He was the Son of God, and He was about to start doing miracles![[In-content Ad]]

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