Episode Transcript
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Hello, I'm Fr Anthony Mellor,
the Dean of St Stephen's Cathedral.
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Thank you for joining us today to pray with us.
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This is a Lectio Divina style of prayer based in Scripture
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where we let the Word of God
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speak to us in a meditative fashion.
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I'll read a passage of Scripture slowly,
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pose a question, then read it again,
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and consider the Scripture again from a different perspective.
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It's an opportunity for you to let the Word of God to
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seep into your heart
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and in the quiet of our heart
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allow the Word of God to speak to us afresh and anew.
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This reading comes from the Gospel of Luke.
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Jesus came to Nazara,
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where He had been brought up,
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and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath,
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as was His custom.
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He stood up to read
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and was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
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Unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it is written:
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The spirit of the Lord is upon me.
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He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor,
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He has sent me to proclaim release to captives,
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sight to the blind,
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to let the oppressed go free,
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to proclaim a year of the Lord's favour.
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He rolled up the scroll,
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gave it back to the assistant and sat down,
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and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
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Then He began to speak to them.
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Today this text is being fulfilled in your hearing.
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And all bear witness to Him,
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and were astonished by the words of grace
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that came from His lips.
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*Reflect in silence.*
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Let us imagine Jesus going into Nazara, Nazareth,
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the place where He had been brought up.
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Going into the local synagogue,
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as was His custom.
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We can imagine Jesus going into this synagogue.
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Who does He see?
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Can you imagine the scene?
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His family, His friends,
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those who know Him well, greeting Him.
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*Reflect in silence.*
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I'll read the passage again
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as we allow this Word of God to seep into our hearts.
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Jesus came to Nazara,
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where He had been brought up,
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and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath,
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as was His custom.
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He stood up to read
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and He was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
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Unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it is written:
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The spirit of the Lord is upon me.
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For He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor,
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He has sent me to proclaim release to captives,
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sight to the blind,
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to let the oppressed go free,
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to proclaim a year of the Lord's favour.
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He then rolled up the scroll,
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gave it back to the assistant and sat down,
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and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
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Then He began to speak to them.
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Today this text is being fulfilled in your hearing.
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And all bear witness to Him,
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and were astonished by the words of grace
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that came from His lips.
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*Reflect in silence.*
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Pope Francis has called 2025 a Holy Year.
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Where we look to this as a year of the Lord's favour,
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for the spirit of the Lord might be upon us
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to proclaim release to captives,
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sight to the blind,
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to let the oppressed go free.
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Jesus is proclaiming a time of Jubilee.
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He says this text is being fulfilled
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even in our hearing.
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How is it that we are seeing
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the good news being lived out in our world?
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How is liberty being proclaimed to the captives?
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How is sight to the blind
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and freedom to the oppressed
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being lived out in our world?
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*Reflect in silence.*
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How might you live this year
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as a proclamation of the Lord's year of favour?
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How might we participate
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in God's Jubilee amongst us?
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*Reflect in silence.*
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As we draw together our time of reflection.
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We pray that God's Word may take
hold in our flesh and our world.
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Inspire our minds,
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to enlighten our hearts
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and to give strength to our life
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and our faith.
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As God leads us on this year of the Lord's favour.
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Thank you for joining us,
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and we hope that you will join us again soon.
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God bless.
