Prayer of the Day
Feast of St. Gregory the Great
September 3rd, 2014Jesus had to get up very early in order to have some time alone. If Jesus needed time and solitude for prayer and refreshment, how much more is this true for us! We must not become so preoccupied with our work that life turns into a flurry of activity,, leaving no room or time to be alone with God. No matter how much we have to do, we must always leave time for prayer.
At this point, Jesus leaves Capernaum. Since Luke has not yet introduced us to the disciples of Jesus, he simply refers to the crowds – not to Simon and his companions – as those who are looking for him and coming to him. The contrast is heightened by the reference to the Nazarenes who rejected Jesus and the crowds at Capernaum who hold him back to prevent him from leaving them.
Jesus says that he must “proclaim the kingdom of God to the other cities also.” The “Good News of the Kingdom” is an expression taken from Isaiah. Jesus leaves the place where, for the first time, he has freed human beings who were alienated because of evil, and continues his journey, proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.