Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13, 54-58
Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?”
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house.”
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.
easy_media_download url=” https://digitalmissioners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Matthew-13-54-58-04082023.mp3″ text=”Download Audio” force_dl=”1″ width=”275″ height=”40″ target=”_blank” color=”orange”]
Lack of faith
1. Who is this? Many people around you seek to judge you. It is as if you are already labeled from the beginning. They did the same with Jesus: they labelled him. It seems that where you come from, and your social status mean more than whether or not you live in the truth. This leads us to become an unhealthy society, where sometimes the lie of a rich man is more acceptable than the truth spoken by a vagabond. Do not give up, live and announce the truth, don’t allow your wealth or lack of it, or your origin condition you in the mission for which you have come into this world. By the way, people always talk and label others. Therefore, keep on sowing and we will enjoy the harvest together.
2. The cause for stumbling. If you live in the truth, of course you will be a stumbling block for many. If you shine in what you do, many will be eager to destroy you. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of envy in our society and in the Church too, like in any organization. But never stop looking at Jesus crucified on the cross, because that’s where you will find your hope… hope that one day you will rise again. Strive to keep your way of life and your essence; the key is your conviction. Do you believe in what you preach? Then go for it.
3. Contempt. Perhaps, you will not be accepted or encouraged by people around you. But remember the same thing happened to Jesus. When everything goes well you will be applauded by several of your close friends, they will even encourage you, but when things go wrong, or you are short of money they will even block you on WhatsApp.
Remember our life is a constant journey, and we must continue walking along the Lord’s path because something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
