Homily: Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Homily: Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mk 6:1-6), “Familiarity Breeds Contempt? “
Quite often when we drive into a small town, we will have a sign at the edge of town that declares that the community is the home of a famous person. We take pride in our hometown heroes. But at times there are ambiguous feelings toward people who become successful after they leave home.
Jesus certainly doesn’t seem to be a hometown hero. The point about that is made several times in the Gospel of Mark. We have the story we read today. We also have an earlier statement made in Mark 3:31. We are told that Jesus arrives home with his apostles. His house is crowded with admirers. Suddenly his family arrives. We are told that, “they came to take charge of him," saying, "He is out of his mind”. A little later his family came to see him again. They ask him to come out to talk to them. He refuses saying his family is, “whoever does the will of God.”
Why did Jesus’ hometown reject him? We could probably point to several reasons. One reason would be familiarity. They watched Jesus grow up. We believe Jesus was a virtuous person his whole life. He was sinless, yet that didn’t mean his family was sinless. How often are people judged by what their families do? If any of us have grown up in a small town we know this is true. We can assume some things about a person simply because of their bloodlines. Now that is unfair, but it is also part of human dynamics. Jesus was perfect, but all the people that he was related to were sinners. People in Nazareth knew all the skeletons in Jesus’ family closet.
Another reason Jesus was rejected was because of preconceived notions. People had a picture of what a prophet should be. A prophet was probably looked upon like we might look upon a saint. Saints are depicted as plaster figures that we put on a pedestal. Prophets were people who stood apart, who were above everyone else. Jesus lived amid the people. He ate with them. He worked with them. People saw Jesus in all his humanity. His old acquaintances concluded he could not be a prophet.
Jesus was also rejected because of skepticism. He had only a rudimentary education. In Nazareth there was no school of Theology. We don’t even know if Jesus was well read. His preaching seemed to be based on his observations about village life. Where did his wisdom come from? We can see how religious figures are scrutinized today. Jesus was as well. He had none of the expected credentials.
Everyone has a history. Every group has a history. On this weekend we reflect on the history of our nation. We all know that there are arguments about that history that are passionate. The United States hasn’t been a perfect nation. Common sense would tell us that. Our country has had corruption and scandal in its history. But people get defensive when it is brought up. We have had moments of great achievements, but we have had many embarrassing times as well. Do we take the historians who point out our short comings to the brow of the hill to throw them off?
We have the same difficulty as a church. The church has a mixed history. The most recent scandal revolves around the schools that were run by religious orders for Native American Children. Hundreds of unmarked graves of indigenous children have been found in the last few weeks at old church boarding schools in Canada. What started off as something that was seen as work of mercy (providing for the education of children) turned into a nightmare. Children were physically punished if they didn’t renounce their culture. Many died. How do we react when such inconvenient truths are revealed?
Hopefully, we do not discard the ideals we say we stand for. Can we repent of the sin, apologize, learn from our mistakes, say we were wrong, and seek to change things rather than give up on noble ideas?
Many of Jesus’ friends and relatives seemed to have a change of heart. James, who is called the brother of the Lord, became one of the most prominent leaders in the early Christian community in Jerusalem. He was also martyred for the faith. Perhaps he can be a model for all of us. The Gospel message doesn’t change, but we need to. We must acknowledge the past, make amends today and keep our dreams alive for tomorrow. And we must try to listen to the prophetic voices that challenge us to be better than we are.
Reflection Questions:
- Have I known someone who bends the facts to reflect preconceived notions? How can I avoid that mistake?
- Do I look at the good in others? Or, do I try to look for their flaws so that I may feel better about myself?
Dear Parishioners,
I would like to announce that we have added a new receptionist to our staff. We have hired Melissa Hoffman. She will be starting in our office this week. Melissa and her family are members of our parish. She will be working about 20 hours a week and will be answering the door and phone calls. She will also be helping with pastoral care and the welcome committee. She will have other duties beside. She has a degree from St. Ambrose and has taught religion at the high school level in the past. Please make her feel welcome.
This week we will be adding 6:30 AM Masses Tuesday through Friday. This Mass time was a popular one before the pandemic hit a year and a half ago. No other parish in the area has such an early Mass. If you would like to attend Mass before going to work in the morning, this is your opportunity. Please tell those that you know that this Mass is back.
Our Eucharistic Adoration is also moving back to the St. Francis Chapel this week. We will begin adoration after the 6:30 AM Mass on Wednesdays and close adoration at 11:30 AM. We will see how this schedule works out.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you this week.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Congratulations to Fr. Matthew who celebrated his 25th Anniversary of Ordination last week. Thank you to those who helped with his reception on Sunday.