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Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 9, 2000
As the Lord spoke to me, spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard the one who was speaking say to me: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their fathers have revolted against me to this very day. Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you. But you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD! And whether they heed or resist--for they are a rebellious house--they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
Second Reading--(2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
That I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. He went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching.
Pastor's Message: Rejection
Our gospel, on this Sunday in July, relates just how Jesus was forthrightly rejected by His very own townsfolk. They recalled how they knew Him back when He was a mere child. They remembered His family -- very good people -- but nothing like Who Jesus was attempting to pawn Himself off as. They apparently found Him to be just too much for them. The gospel tells how -- because of their very hurtful rejection -- Jesus could not work any miracles in His own part of the country. Jesus reflected how, "No prophet is without honor except in His native place, among His own kindred, and in His own house." (MK 6, 4)
In March 1951, Hank Williams recorded a song he had written, which was a tremendous hit in both country and pop music, called COLD, COLD HEART: "I tried so hard my dear to show / That you're my everything / Yet you're afraid each thing I do / Is just some evil scheme / A memory from your lonesome past / Keeps us so far apart / Why can't I free your doubtful mind / And melt your cold, cold heart / Another love before my time / Made your heart sad and blue / And so my heart is paying now / For things I didn't do / In anger unkind words are said / That make the teardrops start / Why can't I free your doubtful mind / And melt your cold, cold heart / There was a time when I believed / That you belonged to me / But now I know your heart is shackled / To a memory / The more I learned to care for you / The more we drift apart / Why can't I free your doubtful mind / And melt your cold, cold heart."
That song has to be the national anthem for heartbreak and rejection. And Jesus surely felt some of these same sentiments when He was denounced and totally rejected by the folks in His very own home town. "He could work no miracle there, apart from curing a few who were sick by laying hands on them, so much did their lack of faith distress Him." (MK 6, 5-6). And while their hurtful rejection really bothered Jesus, He got over it. Their cold rejection did not deter Him from doing what He knew His Father in heaven wanted Him to do. No question, Jesus always regarded human opinion to be a very distant second to the actual will of God. We should be immensely grateful that He thought in this way. Otherwise, the human race would still be outside of heaven because of sin. But could it be that just as Jesus left His home town, and those cold-hearted people who had so callously rejected the good He attempted to do, and then moved on to other neighboring villages to preach the good news of eternal salvation, so too God leaves people who are not open to Him in prayer and in worship? Surely, God never-ever leaves anyone! But there are a lot of people who freely refuse to let Him into their lives. The result of this spiritual rejection is the same thing as His not being with them. This is really playing it stupid! For how can God ever ease their doubtful minds and melt their cold, cold hearts?
Fr. George Griffin