7/4 - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Yahweh warns Ezekiel that he is being sent to obstinate and rebellious Israelites in exile in Babylon. Hence, as God’s prophet, he will have to face rejection and persecution for giving God’s message. The reading gives us the warning that, as Christians we also may face indifference, hostility, contempt, scorn, weakness, hardship, persecution, insults, and rejection. In the second reading, St. Paul gives us the same warning from his own experience that not only the prophets, but the apostles and missionaries as well, will have to encounter hardships and rejection in their preaching mission. Paul confesses that God gave him a share in Christ’s suffering a chronic illness which caused physical suffering and shame — a “thorn in the flesh,” — so that he might rely solely on God’s grace in all his work and might glory in the power of the strengthening God Who alone sustained him. Paul invites us to rise above our own weaknesses and disabilities, cooperate with the grace of God and preach the word of God by word and example as the apostle did. Today’s Gospel passage shows us that many people of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth did not accept Jesus as a prophet because they “knew” Jesus and the family too well. ‘Familiarity did breed contempt’. It was natural that Jesus should visit his hometown, Nazareth, as a rabbi with a band of disciples. On the Sabbath day, Jesus went to the local synagogue. In the synagogue there was a custom of inviting a visiting celebrity to read from the Scroll of the Prophets and give a reflection. Since Jesus’ fame as a preacher and miracle worker in other places of Galilee had reached Nazareth, Jesus was invited to read from the Prophets and explain the text. During his “Inaugural Address” or “Mission Statement,” Jesus took upon himself the identity of a prophet, different from the image of a miracle worker that people wished to see. As other faithful prophets of Israel had done, Jesus, too, held people accountable for their selfishness, their faithlessness to God, their lack of justice and mercy and their sinfulness. His village folk labeled him as “son of the carpenter” and thus could not accept him as the promised Messiah who would come from Bethlehem as a descendant of David’s royal family. Rejection of Jesus is a pointer to the fate of many charismatic followers of Christ. Bishop Fulton Sheen, the great Preacher, was told by his college debate coach, “You are absolutely the worst speaker I ever heard.”(Mark Link S.J.). Ruth Graham felt an uncontrollable urge to run out of the meeting the first time she heard Billy Graham preach. She was not convinced of his preaching ability. She was put off by his preaching style. Billy had to improve his preaching before Ruth would become his wife. Brilliant British Theologian G.K. Chesterton could not read until he was eight years old. A teacher said if his head were opened, they would probably find a lump of fat where there was supposed to be a brain. That teacher was wrong. Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus encountered rejection with prophetic courage.
The theme of the readings of today fits well with our U. S. Independence Day celebrations. This is a day to thank God for the political and religious freedom we enjoy and to pray for God’s special blessings on the leaders and the people of our country. It is a day to remember with gratitude the founding fathers of our democratic republic. It is a day to remember and pray for all our brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives to keep this country a safe and a free country. Today is a day to remind ourselves that the best gift we can give to our Nation is to be a true follower of Christ, who is ready to be a prophet who gives voice to the weak, a priest to bring our country closer to God and a king to protect God’s gift of Nature and Life for many generations to come.

Be blessed, Fr. Tom Kunnel C.