Trong một bài bình luận về Chúa Giêsu, thánh Gioan Kim Khẩu nói: “Dân làng Nazareth đã lấy làm khâm phục Ngài, nhưng sự ngưỡng mộ của họ không đi đến mức độ là tin vào Ngài hay đúng hơn, họ cảm như thấy ghen tị với Chúa Giêsu, như thể có nghĩa là:" Tại sao là anh ta, mà không phải là tôi”. Chúa Giêsu biết rất rõ những người này, thay vì nghe lời Chúa thì họ lại xúc phạm đến Ngài. Họ là những người thân, là bạn bè của Ngài, là hàng xóm láng giềng mà Ngài đã cảm mến, nhưng đúng ra, họ là những người mà Ngài sẽ không thể nào đem tin mừng cứu độ của Ngài đến với họ được..
Chúng ta không thể làm được phép lạ hay có thể có sự lành thánh như Chúa Kitô vì Ngài không bao giờ có đầu óc hay suy nghĩ về sự ganh tị, tuy nhiên trong một lúc nào đó, nếu chúng ta thực sự cố gắng sống đời sống Kitô hữu một cách chân chính, thì chúng ta thực sự có thể làm được. Tuy nhiên, những gì đến có thể sẽ đến, là chúng ta thường sẽ thấy là những người mà chúng ta yêu thương nhất lại là những người không bao giờ quan tâm hay muốn lắng nghe lời chúng ta. Để ứng hiệu điều này, chúng ta cũng phải nên nhớ rằng những thiếu sót thường được phát hiện rất dễ dàng hơn là những nhân đức tốt và, theo đó, những người gần gũi với chúng ta có thể tự hỏi:” những điều anh đang muốn dạy khôn cho tôi, thì anh nên phải thực hành những điều đó trước đi?”
Trong bình luận thánh Gioan Kim Khẩu nói thêm: “Hãy nhìn vào lòng tốt của Thầy: Ngài đã không trừng phạt họ vì không nghe lời Ngài, nhưng Ngài nói với họ một cách ngọt ngào: "Tiên tri có bị khinh, thì chỉ có ở nơi quê quán và nơi nhà mình thôi!" Mt 13:57). Đây là điều hiển nhiên, Chúa Giêsu có chút buồn bã nhưng dù sao Ngài vẫn tiến hành và tiếp tục đem lời Tin Mừng của Ngài đến với mọi người, cũng như Chúa Giêsu như vậy, chúng ta cũng sẽ phải biết tiếp tục rao giảng và đem Lời Chúa Giêsu đến với những người mà chúng ta yêu thương nhất là những người không muốn nghe chúng ta bằng tất cả sự yêu thương, và bằng sự tha thứ.
In a commentary about Jesus, St. John Chrysostom says: «The villagers of Nazareth do admire him, but their admiration does not go to the point of believing in him but, rather, of feeling envious, as if meaning: ‘Why him and not I’». Jesus knew quite well those who, instead of listening to him, took offense at him. They were his relatives, friends, neighbors He appreciated, but precisely to whom He will not be able to let them have his message of salvation.
We —that cannot work out miracles or have Christ's saintliness— will not incite envies (though, at times, if we are really trying to live as true Christians, we may actually do). However, come what may, we shall often find that those we love the most are those who could not care less about listening to us. To this effect, we must also bear in mind that shortcomings are easier to spot than virtues and, accordingly, those closer to us may wonder: —What are you trying to teach me, who used to do (or still does) this or that?
To preach or speak about God with our own people or family may be difficult but necessary. It must be said that when He was going back home, Jesus was preceded by his miracles and his word. Maybe, in our case, we may need a certain reputation for saintliness, whether at home or away, before “preaching” to those at home.
In his previous comment St. John Chrysostom adds: «Please look at the Master's kindness: He does not punish them for not listening to him but He tells them sweetly: ‘The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family’» (Mt 13:57)».
It is evident Jesus would leave somewhat sadly but nonetheless He would proceed with his preaching until his word of salvation would be welcome by his own people. Likewise, we (that have nothing to forgive or oversee) will have to preach so that Jesus' word reaches those that we love but do not want to listen to us.
Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?” Matthew 13:54
Today’s Gospel goes on to say that the people in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth took offense at Him, which led Jesus to say, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” It is somewhat surprising that they took offense at Jesus after witnessing His wisdom and mighty deeds. Jesus was very familiar to the townspeople, and it seems that that familiarity led them to doubt that Jesus was someone special.
It should be noted that, in many ways, the people who knew Jesus for many years should have been the first people to see His greatness. And most likely there were some from His hometown who did. They would have known Jesus’ mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and she would have given daily witness to incredible virtues. They would have known Joseph as a truly righteous and just man. And Jesus would have exuded every human virtue to perfection as He grew. And again, that should have been easily noticeable. But many failed to see the holiness of Jesus and the Holy Family.
This experience of our Lord should remind us that it is easy to miss the presence of God all around us. If those who were closest to Jesus did not recognize Him as a man of exceptional virtue and holiness, then how much more might we fail to see the presence of God in the lives of those we encounter every day? For some reason, perhaps because of our struggles with pride and anger, it is easier to look at the faults of another than at their virtues. It’s easy to be critical of them and to dwell upon their perceived weaknesses and sins. But this Gospel story should encourage us to do all we can to look beyond the surface and to see God present in every life we encounter.
On the most fundamental level, God dwells within each and every person He has created. Even those who remain in a state of persistent mortal sin are still made in the image of God and reflect God by their very nature. And we must see this. And those who are in a state of grace carry the presence of God, not only within themselves by nature but also through God’s action in their lives. Every virtue that every person has is there because God is at work in them. And we must work to see this divine activity in their lives.
Begin by thinking about the people with whom you are closest. When you think about them, what comes to mind? Over the years, we can build habits of dwelling upon others’ faults. And those habits are hard to break. But they can only be broken by intentionally seeking out the presence of God in their lives. As noted, if Jesus’ own townspeople had a difficult time doing this with Him Who was perfect, then this should tell us that it will be even harder for us to do with those who lack perfection. But it must be done and is a very holy endeavor.
Reflect, today, upon the important mission you have been given to see the presence of God in the lives of those all around you. What if Jesus had grown up in your town? As your neighbor? And though the Incarnate Son of God does not live next door as He did in Nazareth, He does live in each and every person you encounter every day. Honestly reflect upon how well you see Him and commit yourself to the holy mission of seeing Him more clearly so that you can rejoice in His greatness which is truly manifest all around you.
My Lord of true greatness, You are truly present all around me. You are alive and living in the lives of those whom I encounter every day. Please give me the eyes of faith to see You and a heart that loves You. Help me to overlook the faults and weaknesses of others. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I contemplate today the mystery of the rejection of your Son in his hometown of Nazareth. I pray that I never take offense at Jesus and always welcome him into my life. I believe, Lord, help my faith grow and flourish.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Rejection of Jeremiah: When King Jehoiakim was installed as the vassal king of Judah in 609 B.C., Jeremiah took center stage in Jerusalem by preaching his famous “Temple Sermon” (Jeremiah 7:1-15, 26:2-19). Like the prophets who ministered before him, Jeremiah taught that ritual sacrifice without obedience to God and injustice to neighbor provoke God’s wrath. This is why Jeremiah preaches that God will destroy the Temple in Jerusalem just as he had obliterated the sanctuary at Shiloh (see Amos 2:6-4:12; Hosea 4:1-19; Micah 7:1-7) (see Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 295). The reference to Shiloh refers back to the time of the Judges, to the centuries before King David, when the Ark of the Covenant was housed at Shiloh, the de factocapital of Israel at the time. After the Ark was captured in battle by the Philistines and given back to the Israelites some months later, it was taken to Kirjath-jearim for twenty years. King David moved the Ark to the house of Obed-edom for three months and then brought it to Jerusalem, where his son, Solomon, built the Temple. However, during the time of Jeremiah, the city of Shiloh lay in ruins. The punishment for Jerusalem’s disobedience, idolatry, and injustice would be the destruction of the Temple and the city just as Shiloh was destroyed. The people did not want to listen to Jeremiah’s prophesy and laid hold of him, crying out that he should be put to death for speaking against the temple, the house of the Lord.
2. The Rejection of Jesus, the New Jeremiah: In this way, Jeremiah prefigures Jesus Christ, who foretells the destruction of the Second Temple. Jesus said: “Amen I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:1-3). Like Jeremiah, Jesus was arrested and put on trial by priests who demanded his death. False witnesses accused Jesus of saying that he could destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days (Matthew 26:61). They confused his words and did not know that he was speaking about the temple of his body (John 2:19-21). Jesus was also rejected by the Nazoreans, his countrymen, in today’s Gospel. Jesus came to his native place and taught in the synagogue. This time, the people were not amazed in a positive way, but rather in a negative way and took offense at Jesus. They could not believe that the humble carpenter who they had known for so many years was able to speak wisdom and perform mighty deeds. Jesus is the prophet-like-Moses who is greater than Moses. Like the prophets of old, which include Jeremiah, Jesus was not honored in his native place and in his own house.
3. The Lack of Faith in Jesus: Jesus was able to do some mighty deeds in Nazareth, but not many. This was due to the people’s lack of faith. “The word for lack of faith is literally ‘unbelief,’ a word Matthew uses only to describe those who oppose and reject Jesus. When the apostles struggled in faith, they are called ‘men of little faith’ (6:30), whereas the people in Jesus’ hometown are outright unbelievers who take offense at him and reject him” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 185). Throughout our lives, we will at times struggle to believe and love as we ought. This is something the saints in the Gospel teach us. We will struggle. But, at the same time, we pray that we do not lose the gift of our faith and reject Jesus like the Nazoreans and the religious leaders of Israel.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I see how the people of your hometown took offense at you. Instead of believing in your words of wisdom and deeds of power, they rejected you. I pray that I do not reject you in my life. Do not let me choose the path of sin or reject the way that leads to eternal life with you.
Friday 17th Week in Ordinary Time
We all have a fundamental need to belong to a group. Experience of rejection can cause emotional pain and even affect our behavior. Disconnection leads to more pain, so that people are eager to change their behavior and remain in the group with which they feel affinity.
Jesus experienced this with his own family, home town, religious leaders and, at the end, even with his disciples. However, he invested his energy more in the relationship with his Father than in human relationships. The love for God was so real in his life that he could with serenity face all challenges. Rejection by those whom he loved affected Jesus but still he was able to offer his life as a gift to many who wanted to receive him.
St. Ignatius of Loyola would often ask God, for the grace to live as Jesus lived, and to love as Jesus loved. This heroic love, which is meek and humble, even rejoices when insulted and humiliated. Human nature often resists vulnerability but grace flourishes in our vulnerability.
Lord Jesus, you called us to know you more intimately, to love you intensely and to follow You more closely. You embraced vulnerability in becoming a poor human being. Give us the courage to love others without creating barriers in relationships.
Peter's reply was a bold proclamation of Jesus as the "Messiah of God." Subsequently Jesus predicts his passion and death, "The Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the elders and chief priests and teachers of the Law, and put to death. Then after three days he will be raised to life."
Understandably the disciples did not understand what Jesus told them. Even Peter, who had confessed him as "the Messiah of God" and would later be privileged to witness his transfiguration and had been warned about his betrayal of the Lord, could not understand how Jesus could be arrested, beaten up and put to death on the cross. Before common-folk Peter deserted and betrayed him.
Today is the Solemnity of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest and Founder of the Society of Jesus. Like the saints of old, Ignatius was moved to desire to be of greater service to the Lord Jesus. If he would have been asked by the Lord what he was to him, he most probably would have answered, "Lord, you are everything to me, my Lord and Savior, my King and my best friend ever."
Ignatius learned to know and love Jesus above all in prayer and contemplation: in the context of a loving and "intimate" friendship. Ignatius encountered Jesus who shared our humanity at his birth in Bethlehem, as Jesus grew in wisdom, age and grace before God and man in the family home and shop in Nazareth, as Jesus left Mary and home for his public life to carry out his mission, as he traversed Galilee a preaching the Good News, as he chose and taught his disciples, as he agonized in the garden and at the hands of the Roman soldiers, as he hung to his death on the cross, and as he was raised from the dead in his resurrection.
Contemplation, prayer and friendship endeared Ignatius to the person of Jesus who as-it-were swept Ignatius off his feet and moved him to stake his whole life and being in the following and service of Jesus as his eternal King. Ignatius wished to be wherever the Lord was.
The path of Ignatius is something we could learn from and aspire to: to know Jesus more closely, to love him more dearly and to follow and serve him with great love and generosity, "not just in words but in deeds."
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