Cycle B - Year I:  

4 July 2021: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Ezekiel 2:2-5

Second Reading:   2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Gospel:  Please Read  Mark 6:1-6

"God respects human freedom!

Some times in our personal lives we have experienced being rejected one way or another.  Rejections are the most common emotional wound we sustain in daily life.  But sometimes, too, rejection is a necessary step in the pursuit of success.  So we must not get discouraged when rejected, learn to deal with it and move on.

If this is any consolation, even our Lord Jesus Christ was rejected too.  The Gospel incident this Sunday narrates the visit of Jesus to His hometown of Nazareth.  When it was the Sabbath He began to preach in the synagogue. Many who heard Him were astonished, but they did not accept His preaching because they knew our Lord Jesus just as a working man, a carpenter and a mere layman. The incident describes the obstinacy of His townmates who did not want to accept Jesus as a preacher.

Somehow, the people of Nazareth have heard about the wondrous deeds performed by Jesus in other neighboring places.  Yet, Jesus faced a severe testing when He returned to His native land not simply as a carpenter's son but now as a Rabbi with disciples.  The people of Nazareth failed to see the Messiah standing right among them, probably because our Lord looked to much just like them.  Because of the obstinacy of His own people in Nazareth, Jesus was not able to perform mighty deeds there because there is no faith in Him among the people.

There is a modern term to describe the above Gospel incident; it is closer to our description of "crab mentality" when people try to pull other people down for jealousy.  

Clearly, the point here is that God respects human freedom.  If the people of Nazareth do not want to hear from God, and if they do not want healings and deliverance to come, then God will not force these good works on them, either.

Until now in our own generation, our Lord Jesus continues to face rejection even by those who called themselves Christians and His followers.  For example, when people openly question and disobey the Lord's teaching through His Church, like teachings on marriage, sacredness of human life, and sexuality.  How many listen and reflect on the priest's holy in Mass, sometimes thinking that they have heard of it already many times.  When we do not want to listen to God's word and the Church's preaching is a form of rejection of Christ and His Church.

The Gospel warns us to be on guard against certain attitudes that are incompatible with the examples of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Are we also critical towards others, especially those close to us?  Sometimes it is sad that our most severe critics are often people very familiar to us, like neighbors we rub shoulders with on regular basis, and even family member or relative.

Let us take notice of the Messiah right beside us in the Eucharist at Mass, and dwells in us as we receive Him in Holy Communion, all the while healing us silently of our spiritual and bodily ailments through the sacraments.  Or do we want always to see our Lord in spectacular events, like the dancing sun perhaps?

But we fail to notice that even the sun rises and sets every single day, attesting to God's providential  care for all His creation.  Let us listen and believe in our Lord Jesus Christ even during these trying times.  For to reject our Lord is to reject the salvation He offers. Because God always respects our human freedom.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!