Jesus came to His “native place.” He preached to those who had known Him since childhood, His friends, neighbors, and relatives. And although they were impressed by His wisdom and eloquence still they could not get past the fact that they knew him as just the carpenter. They took offense at Him and ultimately rejected Him. Because of their lack of faith Jesus could perform no mighty deeds.
God does not use miracles to persuade us to believe or to show unbelievers His power. He does not overpower us with His might, instead He invites us to follow Him. When we do that, when we accept the quiet invitation of God to follow Him, then He will reward us by showing us His power and majesty. But first we must come to Him out of love.
When we stand up for the Truth that God has revealed to us through His Church, we do not need to do so in a belligerent way. Rather let us follow the example of Jesus and invite, patiently respecting the absolute freedom of others to accept or reject Him. But rejection does not mean we give up, only that we wait for another opportunity to extend the invitation once again.
We are Christ’s messengers in the world and how we deliver that message informs the world about Our Lord. Instead of delivering the message by criticizing and condemning, let us remember to deliver the message as Jesus Himself did, with patience, respect, and love.
Pax Vobiscum
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
For me your message is very timely, very sweet. — Grandfather Brown