July 8 // Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Ezekiel 2:2-5
Responsorial Psalm 123:1-2, 2, 3-4
Reading II: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Gospel: Mark 6:1-6

Reading this well-known story about Jesus’ return to his home town always reminds me of that old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt.”   

The Jesus that the residents of Nazareth had known was a craftsman whose father had also been a craftsman and whose mother and other relatives were familiar faces. One thing they were not was members of the priestly elite in Jerusalem.   

So here comes this craftsman, who had disappeared for a time, teaching like one of the scribes and speaking of his miraculous deeds. How could this be possible? And if Jesus claimed to be a prophet, a rabbi (teacher), and a healer, why weren’t they? Was he looking down on them now? Just who did he think he was? 

The residents of Nazareth, at least most of them, simply didn’t get it. They thought they knew Jesus, but they really didn’t. When he had turned thirty and had become an “elder,” he had begun his true mission, the mission for which God had sent him into the world. 

Yes, there were people who were somewhat open to Jesus and willing to give him a chance, since he was able to heal a few who were ill.   

But what about us, Jesus’ 21st century followers? Do we presume that he would agree with all that we believe and stand for? Or do we acknowledge that being a Christian disciple can be quite challenging, to say the least.    

So let us go back to the Bible frequently. Let us read what Jesus said and did, and, with the help of our fellow disciples, let us see what this can mean for our lives today. 

Sheryl Zabel