READING OF THE DAY First reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel Ez 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.
A song of ascents. 1 I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. 2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt. 4 We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud.
Second reading from the Second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 2 Cor 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.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to Mark Mk 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.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER One cannot know Jesus without getting oneself involved with Him, without betting your life [on] Him. When so many people - including us – pose this question: ‘But, who is He?’, The Word of God responds, ‘You want to know who He is? Read what the Church tells you about Him, talk to Him in prayer and walk the street with him. Thus, will you know who this man is.’ This is the way! Everyone must make his choice. (Santa Marta, 26 September 2013)
FAUSTI - "And he wondered about their non-faith" His people marvel at Jesus, and they are scandalized that the Wisdom and Action of God is in "this" man they know well. He too, in turn, was astonished: he came among His own, he was not received! With Jesus we find ourselves before the scandal of a God made Flesh, who is subject to the law of human toil and need, of work and food, of wakefulness and sleep, of life and death. We would like it to be different. We like to share His prerogatives: the less we like Him to share ours, which we would gladly do without. But "His Flesh" is the centre of the Christian faith. To recognize it or not is equivalent to being from God or not (1 Jn 4:2). In His humanity, in what He does and says, in what we do and undergo - in His concrete history, the mature fruit of Israel's journey - God reveals Himself and gives Himself definitively. In it it touches every man and from it springs forth His Wisdom and His saving Power. As a deep vein of perennial water gushes from the spring, so God comes out of Himself and communicates Himself to all through the Man Jesus of Nazareth. We say . "If I saw him, if I touched him, I would believe him!" Nothing more false! His parents refused him precisely because they saw him and touched him - indeed, crushed him. We always have the possibility of inventing one according to our fantasies. Faith is not to ascertain that Jesus is God - the God we think of!"- but to accept that God, the God we didn't think of, is this man Jesus. That God whom no one has ever seen, He has revealed to us (Jn 1:18). The scandal of faith, the same for all, is that the Wisdom and Power of God speaks and works in the madness and powerlessness of a love made flesh, which marries all our limits, to the extreme weakness of the cross. In fact, "he was crucified for his weakness" (2 Cor 13:4). How can the wonders of God be worked by his hands as a worker, who certainly, on the Sabbath, are as tired as ours? It is the scandal of the Christian faith: in the man Jesus, in all things similar to us, dwells corporally all the fullness of the Divinity (Col 2:9). "There is no prophet despised except in his own country." This is the bitter observation of Israel's refusal, behind which the refusal of humanity is looming. Faith is accepting Him as My God and My Lord. It is a contact that releases energy from Him. He is Life. Whoever has open hands receives the gift without any other measure than his need. Incredulity is the closed hand of those who, like his own, make rights and claims. The Lord, as he marvels at our unfaithfulness, marvels also at our faith (Mt 8:10). The use we make of our freedom is something new for Him, a source of amazement. Our faith or non-faith is the only thing that can amaze God, because it depends on us. He marvels when he is there and says: "How beautiful, I did not expect it!" It marvels when it is missing and says. "What more can I do?
- Jesus arrives in Nazareth, the town where He was raised. His fame of itinerant preacher, searched by the crowds, and as a miracle worker preceded Him. On the Sabbath He participates in the cult in the synagogue and here He "began to teach". The effect on the audience: "Many were amazed". The episode starts and then closes characterized by amazement. Usually in the Gospels "amazement" is the feeling that those who have been witnessing of a miracle performed by Jesus and it almost always leads to the praise of God. Here in Nazareth the amazement starts well. Faced the wisdom of their fellow countryman, who had not attended the schools of the rabbis, they ask themselves: "What wisdom is that which has been given to Him?". "Given" by God, it is understood. Their question seems, therefore, to be taking the right direction. But, once they have touched upon the truth, they do not continue towards it: "Is not this the carpenter?". Here we have the fundamental question that runs through the whole of Mark's Gospel. The intent of the evangelist is to lead us to find the true answer to the question concerning the person of Jesus: Who is Jesus? Those who come into contact with Him in some way inevitably experience the question of His identity. Often, however, the question is not kept open in an attitude of research and serious reflection. The reasons: superficiality, fear of conversion? In any case, what prevails is the haste to give an answer. And this happens in the wrong direction: they know His humble origins, they have seen Him grow. They know everything about Him: He is the "carpenter", who inherited the trade from father Joseph. He is a good worker, like others in the village. They know His mother: "Isn't he Mary's son?". This is the only time in Mark's Gospel that the name of Jesus' mother occurs. Joseph is not named: perhaps he is already dead. They know His cousins. In short, his family is an insignificant one. And so the amazement, instead of becoming enthusiastic faith, turns into incredulous skepticism: "It was a cause of scandal for them". The root of such unbelief is precisely the inability to recognize the presence and action of God in what is humble and quotidian. The "scandal", that is, the obstacle to believing, derives from the fact that Jesus did not respond to their image of God: a God who, if He manifests Himself, must do so in an evident and spectacular manner. "And the Lord could not perform any miracle there". Jesus has as His hands tied. Unbelief blocks Him. Miracles are not extraordinary gestures intended to impress people and force their adherence to Jesus. They do not "produce" faith. The miracle is always a response to faith. It can be "read" only in the light of faith and it is an appeal to faith: an appeal addressed to the heart. That is why Jesus does not work any miracle, but heals only a few sick people, to the extent of their faith. 2 July 2021 12:48
And wondered at their unbelief." Jesus feels a deep discomfort and regret, He is "displaced". He was disappointed and embittered by the false religiosity of those who pretend that God manifests Himself only in power and triumph, while they do not accept that He intervenes in poverty and simplicity. On the contrary, with the Incarnation God penetrates humanity to the extreme limit, through a "carpenter", a man who suffers and dies an ignominious death. What grace that day for the people of Nazareth, when in their synagogue they received a visit from Jesus and listened to His Word! What occasion! A grace, an occasion that is repeated for us, especially when we are gathered for the celebration of the Eucharist and Jesus is in our midst. But they did not take Him seriously: amazement, instead of becoming gratitude and praise, became unbelief. Even in our parishes, as in people's lives, Jesus would have a great desire to work miracles, to transform us. But he cannot, because we do not take seriously his word, his Sacraments; we do not really take seriously the gift that he prepares for us every Sunday. This is why life often remains This is why life often remains flat and does not "explode". The Nazarethians did not have enough knowledge of Jesus, physical closeness and familiarity with Him to recognize His mystery. We too could allow ourselves to be carried away by the false presumption of being familiar with Jesus, of knowing everything about Him, but unable to overcome our own schemes in order to be attentive to God's surprises. The statement, "A prophet is not despised except in his own country, among his relatives, and in his own house," is disturbing. Jesus is quoting a proverbial phrase, but He is referring to His own fate. Today too, it can happen to us that we do not know how to recognize the presence and the call of God through the people who live near us. living next to us. And so we miss the opportunity that God offers us to convert to the Gospel. (by Deacon Ing. Giarlotto)
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel
Ez 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.
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
4 We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.
Second reading from the Second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
2 Cor 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.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 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.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
One cannot know Jesus without getting oneself involved with Him, without betting your life [on] Him. When so many people - including us – pose this question: ‘But, who is He?’, The Word of God responds, ‘You want to know who He is? Read what the Church tells you about Him, talk to Him in prayer and walk the street with him. Thus, will you know who this man is.’ This is the way! Everyone must make his choice. (Santa Marta, 26 September 2013)
FAUSTI - "And he wondered about their non-faith" His people marvel at Jesus, and they are scandalized that the Wisdom and Action of God is in "this" man they know well.
RispondiEliminaHe too, in turn, was astonished: he came among His own, he was not received!
With Jesus we find ourselves before the scandal of a God made Flesh, who is subject to the law of human toil and need, of work and food, of wakefulness and sleep, of life and death.
We would like it to be different.
We like to share His prerogatives: the less we like Him to share ours, which we would gladly do without.
But "His Flesh" is the centre of the Christian faith. To recognize it or not is equivalent to being from God or not (1 Jn 4:2).
In His humanity, in what He does and says, in what we do and undergo - in His concrete history, the mature fruit of Israel's journey - God reveals Himself and gives Himself definitively.
In it it touches every man and from it springs forth His Wisdom and His saving Power.
As a deep vein of perennial water gushes from the spring, so God comes out of Himself and communicates Himself to all through the Man Jesus of Nazareth.
We say . "If I saw him, if I touched him, I would believe him!" Nothing more false! His parents refused him precisely because they saw him and touched him - indeed, crushed him.
We always have the possibility of inventing one according to our fantasies.
Faith is not to ascertain that Jesus is God - the God we think of!"- but to accept that God, the God we didn't think of, is this man Jesus.
That God whom no one has ever seen, He has revealed to us (Jn 1:18).
The scandal of faith, the same for all, is that the Wisdom and Power of God speaks and works in the madness and powerlessness of a love made flesh, which marries all our limits, to the extreme weakness of the cross. In fact, "he was crucified for his weakness" (2 Cor 13:4).
How can the wonders of God be worked by his hands as a worker, who certainly, on the Sabbath, are as tired as ours? It is the scandal of the Christian faith: in the man Jesus, in all things similar to us, dwells corporally all the fullness of the Divinity (Col 2:9).
"There is no prophet despised except in his own country." This is the bitter observation of Israel's refusal, behind which the refusal of humanity is looming.
Faith is accepting Him as My God and My Lord. It is a contact that releases energy from Him. He is Life. Whoever has open hands receives the gift without any other measure than his need.
Incredulity is the closed hand of those who, like his own, make rights and claims.
The Lord, as he marvels at our unfaithfulness, marvels also at our faith (Mt 8:10). The use we make of our freedom is something new for Him, a source of amazement.
Our faith or non-faith is the only thing that can amaze God, because it depends on us.
He marvels when he is there and says: "How beautiful, I did not expect it!" It marvels when it is missing and says. "What more can I do?
- Jesus arrives in Nazareth, the town where He was raised. His fame of itinerant preacher, searched by the crowds, and as a miracle worker preceded Him. On the Sabbath He participates in the cult in the synagogue and here He "began to teach".
RispondiEliminaThe effect on the audience: "Many were amazed".
The episode starts and then closes characterized by amazement.
Usually in the Gospels "amazement" is the feeling that those who have been witnessing of a miracle performed by Jesus and it almost always leads to the praise of God.
Here in Nazareth the amazement starts well. Faced the wisdom of their fellow countryman,
who had not attended the schools of the rabbis, they ask themselves: "What wisdom is that which has been given to Him?".
"Given" by God, it is understood. Their question seems, therefore, to be taking the right direction. But, once they have touched upon the truth, they do not continue towards it: "Is not this the carpenter?".
Here we have the fundamental question that runs through the whole of Mark's Gospel.
The intent of the evangelist is to lead us to find the true answer to the question concerning the person of Jesus: Who is Jesus? Those who come into contact with Him in some way inevitably experience the question of His identity.
Often, however, the question is not kept open in an attitude of research and serious reflection.
The reasons: superficiality, fear of conversion? In any case, what prevails is the haste to give an answer. And this happens in the wrong direction: they know His humble origins, they have seen Him grow. They know everything about Him: He is the "carpenter", who inherited the trade from father Joseph. He is a good worker, like others in the village. They know His mother: "Isn't he Mary's son?". This is the only time in Mark's Gospel that the name of Jesus' mother occurs. Joseph is not named: perhaps he is already dead. They know His cousins. In short, his family is an insignificant one. And so the amazement,
instead of becoming enthusiastic faith, turns into incredulous skepticism: "It was a cause of scandal for them". The root of such unbelief is precisely the inability to recognize the presence and action of God in what is humble and quotidian. The "scandal", that is, the obstacle to believing, derives from the fact that Jesus did not respond to their image of God: a God who, if He manifests Himself, must do so in an evident and spectacular manner.
"And the Lord could not perform any miracle there". Jesus has as His hands tied.
Unbelief blocks Him.
Miracles are not extraordinary gestures intended to impress people and force their adherence to Jesus. They do not "produce" faith.
The miracle is always a response to faith. It can be "read" only in the light of faith and it is an appeal to faith: an appeal addressed to the heart.
That is why Jesus does not work any miracle, but heals only a few sick people, to the extent of their faith.
2 July 2021 12:48
And wondered at their unbelief." Jesus feels a deep discomfort and regret, He is "displaced". He was disappointed and embittered by the false religiosity of those who pretend that God manifests Himself only in power and triumph, while they do not accept that He intervenes in poverty and simplicity. On the contrary, with the Incarnation God penetrates humanity to the extreme limit, through a
RispondiElimina"carpenter", a man who suffers and dies an ignominious death.
What grace that day for the people of Nazareth, when in their synagogue they received a visit from Jesus and listened to His Word! What occasion! A grace, an occasion that is repeated for us, especially when we are gathered for the celebration of the Eucharist and Jesus is in our midst.
But they did not take Him seriously: amazement, instead of becoming gratitude and praise, became unbelief.
Even in our parishes, as in people's lives, Jesus would have a great desire to work miracles, to transform us. But he cannot, because we do not take seriously his word, his Sacraments; we do not really take seriously the gift that he prepares for us every Sunday. This is why life often remains
This is why life often remains flat and does not "explode".
The Nazarethians did not have enough knowledge of Jesus, physical closeness and familiarity with Him to recognize His mystery. We too could allow ourselves to be carried away by the false presumption of being familiar with Jesus, of knowing everything about Him, but unable to overcome our own schemes in order to be attentive to God's surprises.
The statement, "A prophet is not despised except in his own country, among his relatives, and in his own house," is disturbing. Jesus is quoting a proverbial phrase, but He is referring to His own fate. Today too, it can happen to us that we do not know how to recognize the presence and the call of God through the people who live near us.
living next to us. And so we miss the opportunity that God offers us to convert to the Gospel.
(by Deacon Ing. Giarlotto)