×

HOW TO DONATE

1 Click on DONATE button.
2 Choose your PROGRAM
3 Choose your amount.

If you still have problems, please let us know, by sending an email to support@sjbny.org . Thank you!

CHURCH HOURS

Mon-Fri 9:00AM - 6:00PM
Sat - 9:00AM-5:00PM
CALL US: (212) 288-5082
  • SUPPORT

Eglise St. Jean Baptiste

Eglise St. Jean Baptiste

The Church is the People of God sharing in Jesus’ ministry of preaching, teaching and healing.

T (212) 288-5082
Email: info@sjbny.org

Eglise St. Jean Baptist
Rectory Address: 184 E 76th St, New York, NY 10021

Open in Google Maps
  • ABOUT
    • Our History
    • Congregation of The Blessed Sacrament Fathers
    • Sisters of Congregation of Notre Dame
    • National Shrine of St. Anne
    • St Jean Baptiste High School
    • Parish Staff
    • Photo Gallery
    • Volunteering
    • Contact US
  • LITURGY
    • Baptism
    • First Communion
    • Confirmation
    • Marriage
    • Anointing
    • Funerals
    • Mass intentions
    • Prayer Group
  • EDUCATION
    • Info & Registration
    • Preparation for Sacraments
    • Adults Education
    • Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
    • Calendar
  • MUSIC
    • The organ
  • COMMUNITY
    • Community Center
    • The Theatre at St. Jeans
    • What’s next at the Theatre?
    • Community Theatre Group
    • Applause
  • TODDLER PROGRAM
  • WATCH MASS
DONATE
  • Home
  • BLOG & STORIES
  • Church Reflections
  • FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 30, 2022
February 9, 2023

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 30, 2022

Eglise Saint Jean Baptiste
Sunday, 30 January 2022 / Published in Church Reflections

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 30, 2022

Three weeks ago, we listened to the account of the wedding feast in Cana where Jesus turned water into wine. That was the first day of his public ministry according to the Gospel of John. Today we’re going to reflect on the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in the Gospel of Luke. The two are very different. John structured his gospel around the manifestation of seven signs, miracles, that proclaimed the arrival kingdom of God. Changing water into wine was the first of those signs. John ends the passage by writing, “and his disciples began to believe in him.” The phenomenon of the kingdom had begun.

Luke brings us to Nazareth to witness one of the first days of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had been baptized by John in the Jordan River and immediately retreated into the Judean desert for forty days where he prepared for his ministry and battled with the powers of darkness. “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.” Then, he came to his hometown synagogue.

He was asked to read the scripture 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.”

This is a very well-known and important passage from the prophet. It’s the description of the Messiah. Jesus’ initial commentary was very simple. “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” In other words, he told them that he was the Messiah.

The congregation reacted in a variety of ways. Everyone spoke highly of him, but some wondered how Jesus had gotten the wisdom he exhibited. He hadn’t gone to rabbinical school; he was a craftsman. Jesus addressed their skepticism and lack of faith in him by pointing out two examples of God favoring Gentiles over Jews because they had more faith.

There was a terrible drought and food was very short. The prophet Elijah responded to the generosity of a widow in Gentile Zarephath who gave him the last

bit of food she had for herself and her son with no hope of replenishing it. Miraculously, her little jar of oil and her bowl of flour never emptied until the drought passed.

A Syrian general, Naaman, a Gentile, had leprosy. His Jewish slave told him about the power of the prophet Elisha. He believed what his slave told him and traveled to Judea. He had faith that the God of Elisha could cure him, and so he was cured.

These two examples of Gentiles with faith infuriated the people in the synagogue. Jesus was telling them that these two Gentiles had more faith than they had. Naaman and the widow weren’t members of the chosen people, but their faith was greater than the faith of the people of Nazareth. The hometown boy had the gall to call them on their faith. They couldn’t accept his teaching that he was the Messiah. He was common. He was one of them. They became blind with rage and attempted to kill him.

What kind of message can be gleaned from this moment in Jesus’ life? I believe that God is constantly reaching out to us but, more times than not, we don’t stretch out our arms to connect. Sometimes we’re so consumed by our daily tasks that we miss the subtle ways God is present. Sometimes we’re so self-reliant that we don’t accept God’s help. Sometimes God is standing right in front of us but we don’t see.

Look for God. Look everywhere. Look in the faces of children. Look into the eyes of a homeless person. Look up to the sky. Look at the shapes of the clouds. Look at the brightness of the moon on a clear night. Look at the people you love, really look at them, see their hearts. God’s everywhere. We just have to have the faith to see.

  • Tweet
Tagged under: ordinary time, pastor, reflection, sunday

What you can read next

NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME AUGUST 10-11, 2019
TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, September 26, 2021
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 31, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 22, 2023

    ZEPHANIAH 2:3,3:12-13 | 1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31 |...
  • THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 22, 2023

    ISAIAH 8:23, 9-3 | 1 CORINTHIANS 1:10-13, 17 | ...
  • SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 15, 2023

    ISAIAH 49:3, 5-6 | 1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-3 | JOHN 1...
  • EPIPHANY, January 8, 2023

    MATTHEW 2:1-12 Balaam gave voice to this oracle...
  • MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, January 1, 2023

    NUMBERS 6:22-27 | GALATIANS 44-7 | LUKE 2:16-21...

Recent Comments

  • Eglise Saint Jean Baptiste on HOLY FAMILY SUNDAY, January 3, 2021
  • Joanne Spuches on HOLY FAMILY SUNDAY, January 3, 2021
  • Donna Szabo on SECOND EASTER SUNDAY APRIL 19, 2020

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019

Categories

  • Church Reflections
  • Memorials

Featured Posts

  • FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 22, 2023

    0 comments
  • THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 22, 2023

    0 comments
  • SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 15, 2023

    0 comments

FOOTER MENU

  • DONATE
  • Our History

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

By subscribing to our mailing list you will always be updated with the latest news from us.

We never spam!

GET IN TOUCH

T (212) 288-5082
Email: info@sjbny.org

St Jean Baptiste Church
184 E 76th St, New York, NY 10021

Open in Google Maps

  • GET SOCIAL

Eglise St. Jean Baptiste © 2019 All rights reserved. Credits Gianluca Boccia.

TOP
CHURCH SCHEDULE OF MASSES

REVISED CHURCH SCHEDULE

WEEKDAYS
The church will open for Prayer and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 7:00 AM
CONFESSIONS will be heard from 11:30 PM until 11:50 PM
MASS will be celebrated at 12:00 PM. The church will close at 2:00 PM.

SATURDAY
The church will open at 11:00 AM
CONFESSIONS will be heard from 11:30 PM until 11:50 PM
MASS will be celebrated at 12:00 PM
**Prayer and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will generally follow Mass until 4:45 PM. Weddings may take place during the afternoon preventing Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
The anticipated Sunday MASS will be celebrated at 5:00 PM.
The church will close at 6:30 PM.

SUNDAY
The Church will open at 8:30 AM
MASS will be celebrated at 9:00 AM
THE HIGH MASS will be celebrated at 11:00 AM Prayer and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will follow the High Mass until 3:45 PM.
MASS will be celebrated at 4:00 PM
The church will close at 5:30.