The readings for The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070421.cfm
Earlier this week, I watched a video clip from the old Johnny Carson show. For those too young to remember, that show is now hosted by Jimmy Fallon.
The clip included the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield and was hilarious.
You see, Rodney Dangerfield was famous for pointing out, in hilarious ways, that he didn’t get any respect. He’d have audiences cracking up as he listed how his neighbors, coworkers, strangers and even his wife - made fun of him, disregarded his feelings and treated him badly.
I think he was able to make people laugh at something so unfunny, because most of us can relate to how it feels to be overlooked or under-appreciated at times.
Almost all of us have had the experience of feeling that we don’t matter, especially to those people who know us the best.
Jesus experiences this same thing when He returns to His hometown of Nazareth.
If you recall from last Sunday’s gospel, Jesus had just performed an amazing miracle when He touched the hand of a little girl who was dead, told her to rise, which she did and then asked, while everyone stood amazed, that she be given something to eat.
He transformed that family’s life with that miracle.
But things couldn’t be more different this week when he arrives in his hometown.
For the people of Nazareth, they knew Jesus only as the child of the carpenter and his wife, Mary. A nice enough guy, but no one to take note of. In their eyes, he was still a neighborhood kid who nothing special was expected from.
Jesus, of course, knows who He is and has a clear sense of His mission. He enters the synagogue, probably the same place where he had spent countless hours growing up learning about the prophets, the psalms and God’s laws and love. But instead of sitting with the congregation where he had grown up, Jesus began to teach.
Jesus had so much to offer the people of his hometown, but they were not ready to receive it.
Instead, they were - astounded. Their preconceived judgements blocked them from receiving what He offers. It was impossible for them to imagine that He might be sent by God to teach and enlighten them.
Now, we’ve all experienced this kind of disrespect and probably even delivered some of it ourselves. Based on what we see or have heard or where we’ve been or who we think someone is - too often we assume a person has nothing of value to offer.
Instead of listening to Jesus, the townspeople spend their time whispering amongst themselves - where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him?
The Son of God is standing in front of them, offering wisdom from heaven, but their hearts and their minds are closed and as a result, they miss out. You know -
This is the power that we all have.
This is the power God allows us to have.
We can say no to God.
With generosity and love, God offers bounty and blessings, but God will never force us to accept what is best for us.
Instead, we can turn away from God and refuse to recognize His presence.
This is how much God loves us. God offers love, forgiveness and new life over and over again. But we have to acknowledge our need for God’s gifts and be willing to receive them.
Thinking about how much the people of Nazareth missed out on, this week, we might want to ask ourselves -
Who is the child of God in my life that I am ignoring because that person doesn’t fit my description of what God’s beloved looks like?
How could my day to day thoughts and choices be blocking God’s love and presence in my life?
How often do I walk by the miracle about to happen and keep walking because my eyes tell me that what I see is the same old thing, nothing out of the ordinary?
This week, let us remember that Jesus, from an ordinary hometown, may often enter our lives in surprisingly ordinary ways and often in ways we don’t expect.
And unlike the people of Nazareth, let us stand with open minds, open arms and open hearts - ready to welcome Him and all He has to offer.
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