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A WORD FROM THE PASTOR
Tragedy Of Unbelief
A man bought an extremely sensitive barometer from a respected company. When he was testing how it worked, the needle on the device was pointing to the sector marked hurricane. After shaking the device several times (never a good idea with a sensitive mechanism), he was unable to get the needle to move. So, in anger, he sat down and wrote a scathing letter to the company about their faulty product. As he drove to work the next morning, he mailed his letter. On returning that evening, not only was his barometer missing, but so was his entire house: from a hurricane. Jesus experienced such a tragedy of unbelief and rejection in the synagogue of Nazareth, as described in today's Gospel.
Rejection: even the word has a foreboding sound. Sadly, it is an experience with which most, if not all of us, are painfully familiar. Everybody experiences rejection sometimes. It may come from a boss, from a peer, from a lover, and in certain cases even from a stranger.
A person may reject another due to ignorance or prejudice. A certain man by name Nasruddin earned his living selling eggs. Someone came to his shop one day and said, "Guess what I have in my hand." "Give me a clue," said Nasruddin. "I shall give you several: It has the shape of an egg and the size of an egg. It looks like an egg, tastes like an egg, and smells like an egg. Inside it is yellow and white. It is liquid before it is cooked and becomes thick when heated. It was, moreover, laid by a hen." "Aha! I know!" said Nasruddin. "It is some sort of cake!"
It is ironic. The expert missed the obvious. It was also an irony that the neighbors of Jesus of Nazareth missed the obvious, for they thought they knew every detail about "the carpenter's son." In purporting to have complete knowledge of Jesus' personal data, they ended up showing their ignorance. Their knowledge of "the carpenter, the son of Mary" was superficial. Their prejudice prevented them from believing and responding to the Christ, the Son of God. They came to the synagogue to pray but left questioning how this unassuming neighbor could teach with such authority.
These days of social media many people believe and depend on what is posted in the internet. They may have been exposed to someone's opinions of Christianity or practice of faith, but they are obviously missing the truth of Jesus Christ, he is Son of God. This fact is in the official teachings of the Church, which is not open to just opinions. For example, Jesus' teaching on 'Living Bread of Life' was not based on the majority and opinions (Jn 6: 22-71).
Rejection of God's message and harboring prejudice on God's works will lead to a tragedy which is irreparable.
In the Service of the Lord,
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