A Year of Favor
Before I get into the heart of this reflection, a little background might help. The Gospel of Luke was written by the same author as the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Generally, theologians place both the Gospel’s writing and the writing of Acts between 60-80AD.
As Luke begins both the Gospel and Acts, he refers to Theopholis as the one to whom he is writing. There has been some debate over the centuries regarding who this Theopolis is. He is only mentioned these two times in all of scripture. Theopolis means either “friend of God” or “Loved by God.” Many think that there was no real Theopholis but instead that Luke was writing to the generations to follow. He was referring to us and called us “Loved by God.”
“I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent one who is loved by God, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.”
I like that a lot. It is like a seed planted for the future. When we read these words, we know they were written for us personally, the ones God loves.
In this passage, Jesus is an adult and goes to the temple as all men did. He has already been baptized by John and anointed by God through the words of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is handed a scroll and reads a beautiful passage from Isaiah. It includes the phrase, “… to announce a year of favor from the Lord.”
A year of favor was a custom in the time of the ancient Jewish community. It was also called a Jubilee year. Every 50 years, there would be a “Year of Favor.” When this jubilee year came, several things would happen. First, people would forgive any grievance they have against one another. Those who did not have enough were given what they needed. Lands would be returned to their original owners, debts would be forgiven, and all the known world would come back to a state of oneness and peace. A Year of Favor was a time to create a society where all divisions were healed, and people lived as one under the favor of God.
Even though God proclaimed the Year of Favor, the people made it real. They did the work of creating a Year of Favor. It was the people who forgave grievances and eliminate debts. The people returned lands and took care of those who did not have enough.
Jesus, when he says this is being fulfilled in your hearing, is saying that He is the “Year of Favor.” He is the one who comes to make all things right and to bring peace to the earth. No wonder He caused a stir. There must have been great consternation among some. And yet, for others, the words rang true. He spoke with authority.
As the words have echoed through the centuries, we need to hear them anew. God is calling us to live each year as a Year of Favor. God did His part. He gave us Jesus to show us how. Now it is our turn.
As we step into this new year, can we live it as a Jubilee Year, a Year of Favor from the Lord? Remember when Isaiah spoke of the Year of Favor, Isaiah was not saying God would swoop down and make all the dissension and discord disappear. Instead, God commanded His people to look at their world and make things right again. It is sort of like God the parent saying, “Okay enough putting it off, clean your room.”
I have heard many people say they hope 2022 is better than 2021. The strange thing is that they say it like they expect “better” to come from the outside of them. On the contrary, better is firmly planted within us, and we alone have the God-given grace to make life better. The year 2022 is a Year of Favor. The Lord has come to show us the way. Now we need to make it happen.
In God’s Unending Love,
Gwen
So beautifully inspiring, my dear Gwen. Thank you.
God speaks. I just try to listen.
Gwen, thank you so much for sharing your insight into this beautiful scripture. You speak with such clarity and wisdom, you have a gift from God.
Thank you for your affirmation. I appreciate it.
Thank you for your words of hope today, Gwen. You are so wise to say that the year of favor comes from within (for sure, it starts there). It’s too easy for me to blame my surroundings for any troubles, when I need to start with myself — with God’s help. Thanks for the reminder.
I am so pleased you found hope! Hope is good.
Thank you thank you thank you Gwen for this reflection. I’m still contemplating 2022 and how “it” can be better than years past. But after reading you column in the bulletin it’s not the “year” that has to be better it’s ME!!! I have to take the grace and gifts God has given me to make 2022 and beyond better, and not expect the outside world will do so. It hasn’t always gotten it right.
Soooo I have it within me to make 2022 “a year acceptable to the Lord” (I love that) with the Holy Spirit’s help and by doing so bring peace forgiveness and comfort to those I encounter each day. I so excited to get started on this change in ME!!
Thanks so much for opening my eyes.
Two years ago I told you, you need to write a book, I still believe that. You have so much to teach us all
God bless dear Gwen❣️
Thank you for your kind words. I have just begun working on the book!
A Year of Favor …. beautifully written, thank you Gwen. This brings to mind a Josh Groban song from his Christmas album, NOEL……
“Somedays, we forget to look around us
Somedays, we can’t see the joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can’t see
It’s up to us, to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There’s so much to be thankful for
Look beyond ourselves
There’s so much sorrow
It’s way too late to say, I’ll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
We’re so long overdue
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And everyday, we hope for
What we still can’t see
It’s up to us, to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There’s so much to be thankful for
Even with our differences
There is a place we’re all connected
Each of us can find each others light
So for tonight, we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day, we hope for
What we still can’t see
It’s up to us, to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more
There’s so much to be thankful for”
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Carole Bayer Sager / David W Foster / Richard James Page
Thankful lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Universal Music Publishing Group
I don’t know the song. I will have to find it online. Am going to do it now!
Wow, thank you for sharing! I have that CD but I never picked up on this song. Just played it- amazing! ?
“Abortion is,a lie; Babies dont want to die.” I found your analysis ignoring the real battle we are facing “protecting the unborn”unfavorable comparing it to other issues, Life from conception to the end of life including euthanasia, down’s syndrome, malformations, and more. Also Father Jerry doesnt mention crises facing the church to offer hope and direction on how to meet them with prayer, fasting, almsgiving, our time and or activism for the voiceless 1billion babies worldwide that have died since Roe v Wade in 1973 and 1 baby EVERY SECOND dying in the womb worldwide now nor March for Life in DC Jan 22 and those going on in the West Coast and else where. The Holy Father condemns abortion and funding by this CRT/Counter Culture administration funding Planned Parenthood with tax payers dollars as should every priest, religious and person as multicultural religions, peoples of all ages are uniting globally to fight IAW our Constitution, and Ten Commandments. “Every human life created by God has a right to LIFE, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.” Even if the Supreme Court overturns R v W states can still allow, it making it easier to murder our infants thru the availability of the chemical pill now available online. We cannot pretend this is not the greatest evil we face in our time JPII describing it as the Culture of Death because the devil loves death while we love life and he is at the bottom of it all but people promoting it will be held accountable, I’m sure you will agree. Beautiful sermons and homilies are heart warming but the great losses of human lives are real and must be addressed in our Mother Church. The Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception have instruct us IAW the Magesterium, tradition and the Bible at Underdtandingthefaith.org. They are at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge Mass.
I cannot imagine how this is a comment on the reflection A Year of Favor. Perhaps you are somehow connecting it with the previous one on Pro-Life. Although I am not sure how since my main point was as you said, “Every human life created by God has a right to life…”