There are a few conflicting lines in today’s Gospel. Jesus is teaching in the synagogue of his own town, and those in attendance, his neighbors, were in admiration for his wisdom and the mighty works done by his hands.
But then comes the flipside. He scandalized them as he was “just one of them.” Jesus then disappointedly remarks, “A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country.” While his hearers were filled with admiration for his wisdom and deeds, they could not accept him.
Others would not follow him. The religious leaders of his day opposed him because he criticized their rigidity and pomposity. The rich young man walked away sadly because Jesus asked too much from him. We read that a number of his followers walked away when he told them that they would need to eat his flesh and drink his blood if they were to have life in him. He asked too much from them.
And what about us today? Are we really willing to follow him when he tells us that whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to him? Or are we willing to be complicit in policies that strip aid to the poor here and abroad? Do we speak up about the demonizing of immigrants who are hunted down, arrested, and jailed with no legal process? Are we willing to feed the hungry and thirsty, clothe the naked, and visit the imprisoned? That is what Jesus calls us to. If we are to “follow Jesus,” we are called not only to worship, but to take and eat the Body of Christ and then go out in prophetic service to his Body suffering and alone in the streets, in the loneliness of nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons. That is what we are called to be.
Today, we commemorate the birthday of Saint Peter Julian Eymard in La Mure d’Isère, France in 1811. Saint Peter Julian Eymard, pray for us!
Let Us Pray:
Creator God, you so loved the world that you sent your Son into our world to let us know of the depth of your love. Before dying and rising, he preached a message of love and identified with those most in need. Send your Spirit into us with an abundance of grace that we might be a leaven of peace, love, and mercy in our little corner of your creation. Amen.
