GOSPEL POWER |MAY 1, 2021

SATURDAY | St. Joseph the Worker| Gospel: Mt 13: 54 – 58 (or Jn 14: 7 – 14)

Jesus came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

REFLECTION

The prejudice of the townspeople of Nazareth exposes the  state of their hearts. They are not ready for the totally  new manifestation of God in their midst. By judging based  on surface-appearance of reality, they want to limit God’s freedom  and creativity. But God, who loves to turn expectations upside down,  has indeed chosen the simple, low-profile carpenter Joseph to be  the guardian of heaven’s greatest treasure — His divine Son. As this  treasure is gradually unveiled before their eyes and in their hearing,  their attachment to their presumed knowledge and judgment  about Jesus’ origin cause them to resist. Thus, they lose the great  opportunity of being the first ones to believe and to become citizens  of the Kingdom of God that breaks forth in their midst in the person  of Jesus, the son of the local carpenter Joseph.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, purify our perception of reality that we may not be locked  in our prejudices and blind to your moment-by-moment revelation. Amen.