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.