OT XIV [B] Ez 2:2-5; II Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6
In today’s
second reading, from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, we heard that he
was fighting what he called a thorn in the flesh. Three times he begged the
Lord to remove this from him. But all he heard was the Lord saying, “My grace
is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” What was it
that was upsetting Paul so much? People have speculated over the years, but we
have no way of knowing exactly what it was. Whatever it was, it was significant
for Paul. It could not have been something as minor as a speech impediment. It
was something far more personal and more severe. Whatever it was, it probably
kept him awake at night. It is troubling for us to think that the great St.
Paul had a major personal problem. Even in our cynical age, we still want to
turn our saints into perfect little plastic statues. But people are not
perfect, and even the greatest of the saints were people like you and me,
continually fighting the temptation to sin.
The voice of
the Lord that Power is made perfect in weakness made it clear to Paul, that
whatever success he had, in proclaiming the Gospel, only occurred because God
was working through him. He went on to write in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.”
The people
of Jesus’ hometown have known him since he was small. They remember when he was
a little boy learning a bit at a time how to become a carpenter like his foster
father, Joseph. They remember him playing with their children. They remember
when he went through growth spurts. They remember when his voice changed and
when he began to grow a beard. They were so bogged down in their knowledge of
Jesus’ humanity, that they refused to listen to the Word of God that He was
proclaiming,.. and that He was. They could not believe that God would work
through Jesus. Their lack of faith resulted in Jesus not being able to perform
any of the mighty deeds of God among them. Therefore, Jesus responded
by saying, 'A prophet is not without honour, except in his hometown, and among
his own kin, and in his own house.'"
In the Bible
we see many instances of such an attitude. Consider David, the
youngest son of Jesse, who was overlooked by his own family when the prophet
Samuel came to anoint the future king of Israel. His father didn't even
consider him initially. Yet, God saw David's potential and anointed him as king
(1 Sam 16:6-13). Similarly, Joseph was despised by his brothers and sold into
slavery, only to rise to a position of power in Egypt and save his family (Gen
37). These stories remind us that those familiar to us can possess incredible
potential.
In
contemporary times, Thomas Edison, despite being labeled as "too stupid to
learn anything" by his teachers, was nurtured by his mother's belief in
him. Her faith transformed him into one of the greatest inventors.
Another
notable example is Albert Einstein. Before he became renowned for his
contributions to physics, Einstein experienced significant struggles. He faced
many Academic Challenges: As a young student, Einstein was often perceived as a
slow learner. His teachers described him as "mentally slow" and
"unsociable," like Edison, and he experienced difficulty speaking
fluently until a relatively late age. Eventually, he became a physicist. His works
fundamentally transformed our understanding of physics and laid the groundwork
for much of modern science.
Einstein’s
story is a powerful testament to how someone who might be initially perceived
as having little potential or utility can make extraordinary contributions when
given the opportunity and space to pursue their interests.
These
stories challenge us to recognize the value in those closest to us. The
statement of Jesus: “A prophet is not without honour, except in his hometown,
and among his own kin, and in his own house”, encapsulates a paradox that
resonates deeply within our personal lives, our workplaces, and our
communities. It speaks to the unfortunate tendency to overlook and undervalue
the talents and contributions of those closest to us.
The gospel
reading reminds us that God often comes to us through the ordinary and the
everyday. The Lord can be present to us in and through those who live among us.
He once said that he comes to us through our children, ‘Whoever welcomes one
such child in my name welcomes me’. He also said that he comes to us through
the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, sick, the imprisoned, ‘Just
as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you
did it to me’. The Lord doesn’t come to us with trumpets blaring but in the
most ordinary of ways. The Lord can even come to us through those painful
experiences of failure and loss that we might think of as devoid of God. We can meet the Lord in our failures,
because he became the ultimate failure for us, on the cross. Our human
weaknesses can create a space for the Lord to come to us and touch our lives in
a truly powerful way.
Let us pray
for the eyes to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, and to celebrate the
remarkable individuals who walk among us every day.