Lk 4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:

“Amen, I say to you,

no prophet is accepted in his own native place.

Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel

in the days of Elijah

when the sky was closed for three and a half years

and a severe famine spread over the entire land.

It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,

but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.

Again, there were many lepers in Israel

during the time of Elisha the prophet;

yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

When the people in the synagogue heard this,

they were all filled with fury.

They rose up, drove him out of the town,

and led him to the brow of the hill

on which their town had been built,

to hurl him down headlong.

But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Today's reflection from Mrs. Theresa Purcell, principal of Holy Family School.

This gospel reading is a bit baffling. “No prophet is accepted in his hometown.” How can that be? It is clear that this is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, yet the people in this gospel reading cannot see.

Perhaps the reason for the people’s reaction was due to pride or fear of what they might find if they listened to Him and looked deep into their hearts? Sometimes when we hear something that seems counter to what we think we know, it’s much easier to just dismiss it rather than to open up and really listen closely to the message. Here, the messages of Jesus ran counter to their expectations and this infuriated the people so they tried to run Him out of town and throw him off a cliff!

Lent is a time of sacrifice. It’s hard and can run counter to what we are used to. Sometimes the Truth cannot be easily understood and sometimes it is just easier to dismiss. Perhaps our pride gets in the way. “No way would God expect this from me or send me that direction.” That is very similar to the reaction of some of the people in Jesus’ hometown. “Isn’t that the carpenter’s son?” and “Who does he think he is preaching to us?” When they didn’t understand or take time to focus and really listen, they became frustrated and angry.

Yes, Lent is a time of sacrifice and it’s hard, but it is also a blessing. Lent offers us a chance to pause and reset our relationship with God. We need to take time to slow down and truly examine deep into our hearts the message that God is sending us. When we pray and ask God for something, there are only three possible answers:  yes, no, and not yet. Sometimes that message from God is to wait and reflect.

Ultimately, the choice is ours. We can view Lent as a hard and very uncomfortable time of the church year, to hopefully be dismissed as soon as possible, or we can slow down, pause, and see Lent for the gift that it is. Lent is a chance for self-reflection and quiet time with the Lord. We may not always understand the message God is sending, but instead of dismissing what we don’t immediately understand, let’s use our gift of faith and spend some quiet time with God to deepen our relationship with Him.

Please click play to join us in our prayer for today, led by Mr. Smith's 4th-8th Grade Choir singing "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace".