Luke declares that he is not a direct witness of the events related to Jesus. He is a Christian of the next generation, who has to do “careful research on every circumstance”, using “those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning”. And yet, he speaks of “events that have taken place among us”. The fulfillment of God’s promises in Jesus remains in history and reaches every time and place. Even though we are more than two millennia distant, we can continue to perceive what Luke tells us about an event “carried out among us”. It is a story that concerns us, challenges us, solicits our response, in the same way as the people of Nazareth. The today of the fulfillment of the Word, which Jesus proclaims in his homeland, does not go away: we are in it. Moreover, Jesus affirms, it is accomplished from the ears of his listeners. It is therefore accomplished in the person of Jesus, but also in the reception of those who allow themselves to be reached and touched. The Word is always a relationship between those who proclaim it and those who accept it. It is like the rib of that body of Christ, of which Paul speaks, which extends not only here and now, but over time, committing ourselves, as Luke does, to receiving what others give us, to deliver it in turn.

Commentary by Comunità di Dumenza

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves, Prinknash Abbey