Daily Catholic Lectio
Thu, 8 January ‘26
Thursday after Epiphany
1 Jn 4:19-5:4. Lk 4:14-22
Not burdensome!
The first reading sets the tone with a quiet but liberating truth: “His commandments are not burdensome.” John does not deny that commandments demand something from us. He says something deeper—that love changes the weight of what we carry. What love asks no longer feels like a load; it becomes a joy. Faith, he says, overcomes the world, not by force, but by trust. When love leads, obedience is no longer heavy.
There is a simple story that explains this well. A young boy used to carry his younger brother, who could not walk, to the playground every day. One day an adult asked him, “Doesn’t it hurt to carry such a heavy burden?” The boy replied, “He is not a burden. He is my brother.” Love does not remove the weight; it changes how the weight is felt. This is what John means when he says that God’s commandments are not burdensome.
In the Gospel, Luke shows us the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and three elements stand out clearly.
First, Jesus begins in his hometown. He returns to Nazareth, the place that knows him best. Ministry does not begin in distant, impressive places; it begins where one is known, questioned, and even judged. Nazareth will later reject him, but Jesus still begins there. He is not afraid of familiarity or misunderstanding. He roots his mission in real life.
Second, Jesus places God at the centre. He enters the synagogue, joins the community, listens to the Word, and stands up to read. His mission is not self-made or self-promoted. It flows from prayer, Scripture, and worship. From the very beginning, Jesus makes it clear: the Kingdom of God is not about personal ambition, but about God’s will.
Third, Jesus appropriates the words of the prophet Isaiah. He does not merely read them; he claims them: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” This is the turning point. Jesus is not commenting on the text; he is becoming the text. The carpenter speaks as a teacher, and the teacher speaks as the fulfilment. His entire life will now give flesh to these words—good news to the poor, freedom to captives, sight to the blind, dignity to the oppressed.
The people of Nazareth are amazed. “Is this not Joseph’s son?” they ask. Their wonder comes from the contrast: simple origins, yet profound responsibility. They sense that someone has arrived who will carry their burdens with them, not place new ones upon them.
What religious and political leaders had turned into heavy loads, Jesus calls a joy. What was imposed as pressure, he offers as promise. What felt like weight, he transforms into healing.
This is the heart of today’s message. God does not add burdens to our lives. He offers us a shoulder. And at the same time, he invites us to become shoulders for others.
When love is real, commandments are not burdensome.
When faith is alive, responsibility becomes strength.
When Christ is present, even our burdens begin to feel like grace.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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