The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
Today's Gospel explains why we call the Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word Christ (Christos) - like the Hebrew Messiah (Mashiach) - means: Anointed. In the Old Testament, kings and priests were anointed, and sometimes prophets were also anointed (for example, we read about the anointing of Elisha as a prophet). Hence, already in the Old Testament it was assumed that the Messiah would be the supreme king, priest and prophet.
It turns out, however, that even the Old Testament foretold much more about the Messiah. The Lord Jesus himself drew attention to this prophecy. Namely, during the service in the synagogue in Nazareth, he read the prophetic words of Isaiah that the Messiah would be anointed not only with material oil, but with the Holy Spirit himself. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me," the Lord Jesus read from the Book of Isaiah, "that I may bring good news to the poor," etc.
Consider what it means that the Lord Jesus is anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third Divine Person, true God, equal to the Father and the Son. He is the personal Love of the Father and the Son. When love connects two people, their love is affection, active kindness, also sacrifice. In God, Love is infinitely more than affection or active kindness. In God, Love is a Person, the Eternal Father and His Only Begotten Son love each other with the Holy Spirit. When I love you, my love for you is different from your love for me. Meanwhile, the Eternal Father loves his Son with the same Love, the same Holy Spirit with whom the Son loves the Father. This is why the three Divine Persons are one and indivisible God.
Well, Jesus is the Messiah, that is, the anointed by the Holy Spirit, which means that also in his human nature the Son of God is filled with this infinite Love, with the same Holy Spirit with which he loves his Father eternally. And with this Love, that is with the Holy Spirit himself, he loved us. And even more: thanks to Jesus, thanks to his saving death and resurrection, the same Holy Spirit is sent into our hearts.
It is scary to think about it, but it is so real: if the Holy Spirit descends into our hearts, if we are transformed into a temple of the Holy Spirit, it means that the same Love that the Father and the Son share, is in us, and it is fully in us, that is, as much as we can open our hearts to it.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george