Church of the
Annunciation

Jesus returns to the synagogue in Nazareth as was his custom. Can we assume the “custom” begins when Joseph and Mary take him to the synagogue as a young boy? The synagogue is the “village assembly” where Jews gather to proclaim the sacred texts: the Torah, the Prophets and the Wisdom of Israel. Here in the synagogue they reflect, discuss and apply the Word of God to their daily lives. We can trace this custom back to the Persian period of influence in the Holy Land. In our first reading from Nehemiah, Ezra, priest and scribe, proclaims “the Book” to men, women and children assembled at the Water Gate of the wall surrounding the city of Jerusalem. Ezra reads aloud the Torah for the entire morning on a raised platform so everyone can see. When he finishes, the people stand up, raise their hands and acclaim: “Amen.” Can we see the parallel to our Liturgy of the Word? In the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus is handed a scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. The passage becomes his inaugural address at the beginning of his public ministry in the Gospel According to St. Luke. Jesus applies the Word to himself – his identity and mission: “The Spirit of God is upon me because God has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor; liberty to captives, sight to the blind; freedom to the oppressed; and to announce a year acceptable to the Lord.” People in the synagogue listen attentively; their eyes are fixed on Jesus. The liturgy of the Word is an essential part of the Mass. Sacred Scripture helps us better understand the deeper meaning of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. St. Jerome reminds us: “Ignorance of Sacred Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”