God has come to speak His Word to us in Christ, and it can be challenging to rise to the occasion and live out that Word, because it calls us to new understandings about Who He is and Who we are, and calls us to a new way of life. That is why it's important for us to be open to the transformation, deep into our hearts, so we can receive this Word and act on it.
As people of faith, we are anointed for a purpose, to be God's presence in the world. I think of how powerfully we, the World Youth Day pilgrims, made God known in our gathering there 3 years ago, and how we were sent forth to make Him known, transformed by our encounters during those days.
So Jesus was anointed to be a prophet, and His own townsfolk in Nazareth found it so difficult to accept this One, Who had grown up among them, to be God's presence speaking to them--much as the people of Israel as a whole rejected Jesus as the Messiah.
As people baptized in faith, called and anointed for His purposes, when we face opposition for proclaiming God's message, we can be confident that God has anointed us, since before birth.
May our lives reflect the vision of love that St. Paul presents in 1 Corthinians. It is such a great spiritual gift that it lasts through all Eternity, for in true Love, we see God present among us, even as we await the revelation of His fullness.
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