The Holy Gospel according to Matthew (13:54-58).
Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus returning to Nazareth, his hometown. The people there knew him because he grew up in front of them. But now he returned to preach, teach and heal the sick and the people were suspicious of him. The people questioned, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother Mary?” The people saw him as the carpenter and as the one who grew up in their midst and found it difficult to believe him as a religious leader.
This should make us think about the people that we are most familiar with, our immediate family, our spouses, our parents, children, brothers and sisters, our neighbors. These are the people that God has place in our midst. These are the people that God has given us to love. But there are times when we fail to recognize God’s presence in them because they are close to us and we are familiar with them. We are not able to see beyond the “ordinary” in them.
We must remember that we are all made in the image of God, including our family members, friends and neighbors, even those we have a hard time loving. Everybody has “good” in them, and we are called to look for that good in everybody. We should focus on the positive gifts, talents and characteristics of people and not their faults. Remember we also are “faulty” and not perfect. When we look for the positive we are better able to see Christ in them.
Jesus responded to their unbelief by saying, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own house.” This lack of faith did not deter Jesus from his mission and ministry. He continued his mission knowing that some peoples’ hearts would remain hardened.
We are called to imitate Jesus and persevere in our faith and mission. We are called to be witnesses to the truth even when we face obstacles and rejection.
Action for the Day: May we pray for the grace to recognize God’s presence in our everyday lives and in those around us, and remain steadfast in our mission, regardless of how we are received by others. May we see Christ in the people closest to us, and more importantly, may they see Christ in US!
