Luke 4: 24-30
Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Recognized and Called
Breaking open the word is always a bit of an adventure. It's a privileged time seeing where the Holy Spirit invites imagination. When reading today's Gospel, I went back to Bad Bunny's halftime performance at Super Bowl 2026. In today’s passage, readers might be asked to imagine themselves as Jesus - having courage and returning home to deliver a not-so-savory message. Or, folks are invited to see themselves as the villagers whose expectations were disrupted by Jesus' corrective lesson. A perhaps even more important perspective, however, is that of the widow and the Syrian—both outsiders who have been named, seen, and healed in this passage. What might their experience be like? I like to think I got a glimpse when viewing social media footage of men, women, and young children cheering, weeping, hugging, and dancing with joy…all because a 32-year-old Puerto Rican artist recognized their country of origin as part of America at the 2026 half-time show. Isn't this what God desires for us? To be recognized? To be called by name? Can we see ourselves in the most marginalized? How much more joy, hugging, and dancing would there be if we all believed and spoke this truth: that each person, no matter their country of origin, is worthy of prophetic voice and healing touch.
—Amanda B. Angaiak is the Director of Catholic Schools of Fairbanks, and President of Monroe Foundation, Inc. in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Prayer
We want to celebrate the beauty and dignity of our brothers and sisters who have been facing so many trials. We want to dance, to weep, to laugh, and celebrate unabashedly. Will you help us? Give us courage to turn to each other, Lord. And in doing so, return us to You.
—Amanda B. Angaiak