Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Jeremiah 26:1-9; Matthew 13:54-58)
Both readings today speak of a prophet being rejected in his
native place. Jeremiah will be spurned for
telling Jerusalemites that they must repent of unfaithfulness to God. The people of Nazareth take offense with
Jesus for daring to lecture those with whom he had been raised.
Since the prophetic message is often critical, people will
not want to hear it. They are resistant
to change at another’s beckoning even when it might spare them hardship. They believe that one’s dignity is somehow
heightened by having one’s own way.
We should not allow a probable negative response to prevent
us from speaking the truth to family and friends. Of course, our perception of the truth should
be tested. Also, we need to be prudent about
when and how to express it. Nevertheless,
when necessary for the good of others, we should not refrain from declaring the
truth.
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