DAILY- HOMILY

JULY 5, 2009
14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B

EZEKIEL 2:2-5
As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my
feet, and I heard the one who was speaking say to me: Son of man, I am
sending you to the Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against me;
they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD! And whether they
heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house— they shall know that a
prophet has been among them.

2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10
Brothers and sisters: That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was
given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too
elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave
me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast most gladly of my
weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am
weak, then I am strong.

MARK 6:1-6
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by
his disciples. When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the
synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, "Where
did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter,
the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and
Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at
him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his
native place and among his own kin and in his own house." So he was
not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few
sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack
of faith.

REFLECTION
The anticipated happy homecoming of Jesus was a disappointment.
Instead of feeling welcomed, Jesus felt frustrated and sad with his
townmates. He expected some excitement from them but instead, he
received a lukewarm response. Stories abound that he was doing great
things like preaching and healing. They were impressed with such great
news about Jesus but such regard did not translate to faith and belief
in him. Instead, they questioned his integrity brought about by a
certain jealousy. How can someone from their own background and coming
from an ordinary family like a carpenter father be so authoritative in
his teaching?

Such unbelief prevented Jesus from doing anything significant and
creating impact on his fellow townmates. He believed that he could
offer so much but it was not possible to do so because they simply
lacked faith. He felt so unappreciated, which was a clear contrast to
other places where he had been. His townmates could not seemingly
reconcile that Jesus has substantially changed. They somehow stuck to
their previous recollections of Jesus that became a stumbling block in
perceiving him in a new light.

Jesus then says that a prophet is not without honor except in his
native place and among his relatives. Such a remark supports the
saying that familiarity breeds contempt. This experience of rejection
of Jesus is painful in that the very people whom he expected to
understand and accept him became the ones who readily dismissed him.
While people in other places greeted Jesus with enthusiasm and hung on
his words, his own townspeople, even his own relatives, treated him
with cynicism.

Yet what happened to Jesus is shared by the prophets from the Old
Testament. In the first reading, God forewarns Ezekiel to the likely
hostility of the Israelites. "I am sending you to the Israelites, to
the rebels who have turned against me... Whether they listen or not,
this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them."

By our baptism, we are called to be like the prophets. We have a
responsibility to share the Good News of salvation to all. When we
feel afraid, incompetent or inadequate, we can turn to St. Paul for
consolation via the second reading today. "I am content with my
weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies
I go through for Christ's sake. For it is when I am weak that I am
strong."

We pray that we may not be discouraged. Let not rejections and doubt
pr event us from recognizing and accepting Jesus more fully into our
lives and in the lives we touch.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Mary Abajon
- Lisa
- Fr. Peter Chuang, SJ
- Eva
- Doug Jones
- Candice Rice
- Kitty
- Herman
- Elizabeth Mah
… for the special intentions: San Juan de Dios Hospital
… for the personal intentions:
- Veronica Yap
- Hernane B. Suede
- Lina Magcamit
- Charmaine
- Med Villanueva
… for the strength and healing of
- Arnold Cabatingan
- Cory Aquino
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Ms. Lolly Chua
- Alexis Arguello, Shannon Brand, Michael, Farrah, Karen Brown, Ed,
Catherine Appell
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Diane Sim
- Wedding Anniversary: Benson & Lourdes Tang
- In Memoriam (+): Delfin Pilones
… for the healing and peace of all families

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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