Mk 6, 16ff
Introduction: Today’s Gospel recounts how Jesus was not accepted by the people of his
own hometown of Nazareth. The townspeople viewed him from their own very narrow
earth-bound perspective. “Isn’t this the carpenter? Is this Mary’s son? They
had made up their mind about Jesus and would not move beyond their own limited
understanding. Where we are concerned, the Holy Spirit is always seeing to
expand not just our hearts but our minds as well. The Christian life constantly
challenges us to view Jesus through a more accurate lens – the lens of
Revelation and Faith. We must never allow our faith in Jesus to be shaken by
snide remarks of friends or by the presentations of the mass media. But if we
have, we shall beg pardon for it here and now.
“No
Prophet has honour in his own country”
Jesus’ audience was faced with a
dilemma. On the one hand, they could not doubt the power and wisdom of his
teaching. On the other, here was the carpenter’s son, well known to them all
from childhood, without the credentials of a rabbi. Was this someone blessed by
God, or was this a young man with ideas above his station. The wisdom of his
teaching pointed to divine blessing, but their prejudgement forced them to
conclude that here was an arrogant upstart. They became locked into a vicious
circle of prejudice and hostility. Prejudice is self-inflicted blindness.
Prejudice is a great time-saver. It enables you to form opinions without
bothering to get the facts; to pass judgement without knowing the situation.
The author, John Mark Templeton, says, “It’s very odd that the people who are
the most distrustful, who raise the most objections, who can point out the most
faults, who can suspect others’ motives, are considered by some to be wise!”
Their cynical views are actually considered insightful and helpful to the
common good because they see everything that might threaten it. The people in
Jesus’ time thought they had made a smart conclusion when in reality they had
foreclosed the chance of a new and liberating life.
In our own
times, we have come to learn the great importance of freedom of thought, of
self-knowledge and trust of feelings, of cultivating our creative abilities, of
the joy and wonder of spontaneity, of the vitality and richness of being open
and trustful of each other in relationships. All of life is interconnected and
interdependent. The great thinker Emerson said that the healthy attitude of
human nature should be an easy freedom from concerns. We should be like children
who are sure of their dinner, knowing that their needs will be provided for.
I’d like to remind you, dear friends, that Emerson wrote that statement in the
years following the illness and deaths of his first wife, two brothers, and his
adored six-year-old son.
I once mentioned
Oscar Hammerstein in a homily. Here he is again: “I think probably the worst
thing parents can ever do to children is to teach them to hate, to teach them
prejudice. You wouldn’t ever find a parent willing to give poison to make his
child physically sick. But teaching a child to hate, teaching him to have
prejudices, makes him mentally sick and can stay mentally sick all his life.”
Here is a little
story of a young black African. In 1960 a religious persecution broke out in
Sudan in Africa. A black Christian student Paride Taban fled the danger and
went to Uganda. In Uganda, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained. When
things settled down in Sudan, the young Fr. Taban returned to his homeland. He
was assigned to a parish in Polataka. But his African congregation couldn’t
believe he was really a priest. They had never seen a black priest before; they
had only seen white priests who gave them clothes and medicine. Young Fr. Taban
was from the Madi tribe and had nothing to give them. He was poor as they were.
To make matters worse, Fr. Taban had to introduce them to the changes of the
Second Vatican Council. These changes bothered the people greatly. They said,
“This young man turns our altar around, and celebrates Mass in our own
language, not Latin. He cannot be a real priest.” Only after a great deal of
difficult persuasion did his parishioners finally accept Fr. Taban.
Going back to Jesus and his
people. Whilst it is tempting to condemn those who closed their minds to Jesus,
it is useful to consider that we too are often challenged, in the Christian
life, to believe truths that we cannot fully understand. Faith may involve
seeking the truth, but it also involves accepting the mystery. Faith is no soft
option.
PRAYER (Philaret of Moscow)
Lord, grant me to greet the
coming days in peace.
Help me in all things to rely on
your will.
In every hour of the day reveal
your will to me.
Teach me to treat all that comes
to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with firm conviction that your
will governs everything.
In all my deeds and words guide
my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events let me not
forget that all are sent by you.
Teach me to act firmly and
wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.
Give me the strength to bear the
fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will. Teach me to pray.
Pray yourself in me.
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