GOSPEL REFLECTION
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
Sunday, 5th July 2015
by Rev. Fr. Allen Baclor Abadines
READINGS:
First Reading: Ezekiel 2:3-5
Responsorial Psalm: Our eyes look to the Lord, until he has mercy upon us.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
GOSPEL : Mark 6:1-6
Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offence at him.
Then Jesus said to them, "A Prophet is not without honour, except in his hometown, and among his own kin, and in his own house."
And Jesus could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And Jesus was amazed at their unbelief.
Then he went about among the villages teaching.
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REFLECTION:
The Gospel relates to us an account wherein Jesus visited his native place. While Jesus was born in Bethlehem , He grew up in Nazareth. For thirty years Jesus lived in this town. Nazareth, therefore, was for him his hometown. He had been visiting different places - doing his ministry of preaching about the Kingdom of God, administering to the sick, healing , and making wonders and so he thought why not his own hometown and his own folks and kin. Surely, he would be more welcomed in his own place. But far from what Jesus was expecting , we see in today's Gospel text an obvious contradiction on their reaction of Jesus. They acknowledged Jesus' wisdom , they were convinced of the miraculous nature of his deeds, they must have heard of some of the astonishing miracles and works of Jesus yet they rejected him. They "took offense at him" rejecting him personally , as well as by his friends and relatives. They rejected Jesus because they knew him personally. For them, Jesus was just the son of a carpenter from a poor family. "How could such wisdom and power come from this nobody we grew up with?" They could not accept. Jesus was unwanted. They thought they knew everything about Jesus. Indeed, "Familiarity breeds contempt!" There's nothing more hurtful than to be rejected by your own family and people.
As I reflect on today's Gospel text, one word kept ringing in my mind i.e. REJECTION!
What is Rejection? Rejection can be defined as the sense of being unwanted.
Have you ever experienced rejection? Have you ever feel the longing for acceptance and love from other people, yet you believe that they do not? Or you want to be part of the group , yet you feel excluded. Well, almost all of us, at one time or another, have experienced rejection even from people we loved the most or someone we respected and looked up to. Many of us have not understood its nature or its effects on other people's lives. One's rejection may have been relatively minor or it may have been so devastating that it affected one's whole life. Rejection comes in a variety of forms. Some examples of simple rejection could be like - you invited a friend to your party yet he refused to come. Or you offered friendship to a someone yet it was not accepted. Some may have effects in your life like you were not accepted at the company you were applying saying that you didn't have the qualifications they were looking for , or you did not get the promotion or a raise in your salary you were looking forward to getting. Others could be worse and painful like rejection coming from parents or someone dearest to you. Someone may have never felt love from parents, or felt like an unfavored child or even abused. Experience such as these may leave permanent wounds. As for me rejection could either destroy or build you as a person. It could either make you a better person, make you stronger or make you bad or weak. Even great and famous people have experienced rejection. For instance, J K Rowling, creator of Harry Potter, she was rejected by 12 publishers before her work was published. Beethoven's music teacher declared him 'hopeless' at composing. A teenager's low popularity convinced her that she was unattractive. She became a top model, hailed by many as the most beautiful woman in the world. All those who had ignored her are now boasting that they had gone to school with Claudia Schiffer. It only tells us that for every "No" that you receive there could be a "Yes" just around the corner. Learn to love and appreciate yourself. Sometimes this could be the hardest thing to do. Never fear rejection but make it an opportunity to grow and to learn.
How do you cope with rejection? How do you react to rejection? How do you respond to rejection? The good news is - God never reject anyone. God offers us full acceptance. And God can heal us from the wounds that come from rejection. Jesus never reject nor discriminate anyone. Like he ate with sinners, tax collectors and women with ill repute. He touched the lepers , forgave their sins and made them whole. Jesus , therefore, will never reject anyone because of race, color, physical appearance , gender, status and preference. Remember he himself had experienced rejection and so let us come to him who knows the pain of being rejected. No one but God is capable of giving perfect love at all times and in every circumstance. And amazingly enough, in spite of all rejection and indifference, God still and will always love us. 1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."
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