FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Ezekiel 2:2-5; 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10; Mark 6:1-6)
Dear friends, today we continue reading from the Gospel according to
Mark. Soon we will interrupt this sequence to consider the important theme of
the Eucharist as presented in the Gospel of John. We have the opportunity to do
this and to finish most of Mark because this Gospel is not as long as the
others. But this does not diminish its importance. With its descriptive style
and its focus on Christ and discipleship, Mark presents a valid blueprint for
Christian life.
The first reading is set against the backdrop of Babylon. Several
citizens of Jerusalem, including the priest Ezekiel, have been deported there
by King Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord God now calls Ezekiel to be His prophet or
spokesperson among the exiles. God says that the exiles have been "hard of
face and obstinate of heart" in their allegiance to Him. For years, they
ignored the law and the prophets until the Lord sent the Babylonians to humble
them.
Ezekiel will be an extraordinary prophet. His words and actions will open
the eyes of the people to the will of the Lord. They will give us a preview of
another prophet, much greater, six centuries later. Jesus of Nazareth will have
prophecies and deeds that capture everyone's attention. However, as in
Ezekiel's case, not everyone will follow him. But for those who humble
themselves to heed his words, there will be no doubt that he speaks for God.
Today's Gospel reminds us of the passage from several Sundays ago when
Jesus' relatives came to His house in Capernaum. They thought he was out of His
mind and tried to take Him away. Here in Nazareth, his own townspeople similarly
do not believe he could be a prophet of God. Despite explaining the Scriptures
well and healing the sick, they remain suspicious of him. They are not enthusiastic about hearing God's
will or proud to have one among them speaking with great wisdom. Instead, they
are astonished, as if Jesus were a fraud or a show-off who doesn't know as much
as he thinks he does. They think he is no greater than his mother or h
brothers, whom they know as ordinary people.
Many people today give similar reasons for not accepting Jesus as God’s prophet.
They say He has not fulfilled his promise to return to take us to heaven.
Furthermore, they argue that Jesus' message does not align with their way of
understanding life. These people do not want to humble themselves to serve as
Jesus instructs. Rather, they pretend to be better than others so they can be
served. They do not want to give themselves for the good of others in the
selfless love that Jesus has taught. Instead, they want to be gratified with
erotic love.
We know better. We know that Jesus' resurrection from the dead has
demonstrated the validity of His teaching. Even more importantly, the
resurrection has made us capable of being his true brothers and sisters and
heirs to his immortal life. United to Jesus Christ in Baptism, we live as a
family treating one another with a love that does not take advantage of others
but supports them. It is in no way true, as the townspeople of Nazareth would say,
that Jesus is not better than others. It is quite the opposite. Please listen now:
we are better persons because we are his brothers and sisters. By following in
the way of Jesus, we know that he will find us when he returns at the end of
time.
