4TH WEDNESDAY HOMILY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
4TH WEDNESDAY HOMILY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Hebrews 12:4-7,11-15, Psalm 102:1-2,13-14,17-18, Mark 6:1-6
He 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.
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There is a joke which says, “Success is relative. If you are successful, you get more relatives.” People love winners. And we naturally want to be associated with famous and successful people.
That is why the reaction of the people of Nazareth to Jesus is perplexing. After leaving His hometown where He grew up, Jesus instantly gains great fame and numerous followers on account of His many wondrous signs done before the people in the surrounding region of Galilee. The Gospels say that wherever He goes, a great number of people follow Him.
Nazareth is a remote and unknown town in Israel. It was the phenomenal popularity of Jesus that put this town on the map, so to say. We would naturally think that the return of Jesus to His hometown must be such a remarkable event for His townmates. So when He starts speaking in their synagogue, they eagerly listen to Him in earnest. And “many who heard Him were astonished.”
Sadly, however, this positive reaction does not last long. Knowing Jesus since His childhood, their amazement very soon vanishes and is supplanted by questions and doubts. And they ask: “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!”
Their skepticism and doubts are due to the fact that they know Jesus so well: “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?” But all along, what they know about Jesus is that He is only a man: “Where did this man get all this?” They are blinded by a superficial familiarity. So, Jesus says, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” It is understandable, then, that “they took offense at Him.”
The underlying reason behind this negative reaction is spelled out by the evangelist: “He was amazed at their lack of faith.” The real problem is their lack of faith. They are too familiar with Jesus, but it is only on the superficial level. They do not see beyond the human appearance of Jesus. So, they cannot accept the truth that He is the Messiah.
This rejection of Jesus continues to happen until now. And again, the reason is lack of faith among the people. This lack of faith is rooted in selfishness, materialism and man’s inordinate desire for worldly pleasure and comfort. If we try to invite people to a party or any social and business affair, most likely we will get a highly positive response. But once invited to go to Church, attend Mass or vigil adoration, we hear so many excuses and creative alibis for refusing to come. Faith cannot deepen and grow in people who give more priority to the world than to the spiritual realities.
Jesus reminds us: “I am the vine, you are the branches…without me, you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Rejecting Him in exchange for worldly success and pleasure is simply choosing death over eternal life. While many people reject Jesus, let us not be one of them. Like Peter, we say: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68).
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