A Prophet without honour

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

 L-14-il Ħadd matul is-Sena 'B'

Messalin  B  410

Reading 1                             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. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni   -    mill-Profeta Eżekjel 2, 2-5

F'dak iż-żmien,  daħal fija l-ispirtu u waqqafni fuq riġlejja; u smajt x'kien qiegħed igħidli.  Qalli,  "O  bniedem,   qiegħed nibagħtek għand ulied Iżrael, ġens ta' nies  rashom iebsa, li rvellaw kontra tiegħi;  dinbu kontra  tiegħi huma u missirjiethom sal-lum stess. Huma nies  wiċċhom sfiq u qalbhom iebsa.  Se nibagħatek għandhom,  biex tgħidilhom: "Dan igħid Sidi l-Mulej."     Jisimgħu u ma jisimgħux – nies ta' ras iebsa huma --  ħa jkunu jafu li hemm profeta  f'nofshom."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                      Psalm 123:1-2, 2, 3-4

 R. (2cd) Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

 To you I lift up my eyes

who are enthroned in heaven --
As the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.           R.

As the eyes of a maid

are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.                              R.

Have pity on us, O LORD, have pity on us,
for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
with the mockery of the arrogant,
with the contempt of the proud.             R.

Salm Responsorjali    -  Salm 122

 R/    Għajnejna lejn il-Mulej, sa ma jkollu ħniena minna.

Lejk nefa' għajnejja,

int li tghammar  fis-smewwieta

Ara, bħal għajnejn il-qaddejja

lejn id sidhom;   hekk għajnejna  lejn il-Mulej.  R/

Bħal għajnejn il-qaddejja lejn id sidtha;

hekk għajnejna lejn il-Mulej, Alla tagħna,

sa ma jkollu ħniena minna.                                                         R/

Ħenn għalina, Mulej, ħenn  għalina,

għax mitmugħa sax-xaba' bit-tagħjir.

Imxebbgħa għall-aħħar ruħna

bż-żebliħ tal-għonja,  bit-tagħjir tal-kburin.                       R/

Reading 2                                          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.  This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni    -    mit-Tieni Ittra lill-Korintin 12, 7 -10

Ħuti,  biex  ma mmurx  nintefaħ  bija nnifsi minħabba fil-kobor  tar-rivelazzjonijiet,  tqegħditli xewka f'ġismi, messaġġiera tax-Xitan,  biex toqgħod tniggiżni ħalli ma nintefaħx.    Fuq hekk tliet darbiet  tlabt lill-Mulej biex hi titbiegħed minni.    Iżda hu weġibni: "Biżżejjed  għalik il-grazzja tiegħi' għax il-qawwa tiegħi  tidher fl-aqwa tagħha  fejn hemm id-dgħajjef."   Għalhekk niftaħar  minn qalbi l-aktar bid- debbulizzi tiegħi biex il-qawwa ta' Kristu tgħammar fija.   Mela bil- qalb kollha nitgħaxxaq bid-debbulizzi  tiegħi,.  bit-tagħjir, bil-għaks, bil-persekuzzjonijiet,  bid-dwejjaq  minħabba Kristu;  għax meta jien  dgħajjef,  inkun qawwi. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                   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 honour 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.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju  -   skond San Mark 6,  1-6

F'dak iż-żmien  Ġesu' mar lejn pajjiżu, u d-dixxipli  tiegħu marru miegħu.   Meta wasal is-Sibt, daħal jgħallem  fis-sinagoga, u l-ħafna  li semgħuh bdew jistagħġbu u jgħidu:  "Mnejn  kisbu dan  kollu?"   U x'inhu dan il-għerf li ngħatalu  biex saħansitra qegħdin isiru  dawn l-għeġubijiet  kbar f'idejħ?    Dan mhuwiex  il-mastrudaxxa bin Marija, u ħu Ġakbu u Ġoże, u  Ġuda u Xmun?   U ħutu l-bniet mhumiex hawn magħna?"   U huma  skandilizzaw ruħhom minħabba fih.    Qalilhom Ġesu':  "Ebda profeta  ma hu bla ġieh jekk mhux f'pajjiżu u fost qrabatu u f'daru stess."    U hemmhekk ma sata' jagħmel ebda miraklu,  ħlief li qiegħed idejh fuq  ftit morda u fejjaqhom;  u baqa'  mistagħġeb bin-nuqqas ta' fidi tagħhom. U mar idur l-irħula ta' dawk l-inħawi jgħallem.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

 ////////////////////////////////

Father Cantalamessa on a Prophet Without Honour:

And they took offense at him

When Jesus was already popular and famous because of his miracles and teaching, he returned one day to his place of origin, Nazareth, and as usual, he began to teach in the synagogue. However, this time there was no enthusiasm, no Hosanna! 

More than listening to what he was saying and judging him accordingly, the people began to engage in inappropriate considerations. "Whence did he get this wisdom? He has not studied; we know him well; he is the carpenter, the son of Mary!" "And they took offense at him," that is, they had a problem in believing him because they knew him well.

Jesus commented bitterly: "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." This phrase has become proverbial in the abbreviated form: Nemo propheta in patria, no one is a prophet in his country. But this in only a curiosity. The evangelical passage also gives us an implicit warning which we can summarize thus: be careful not to commit the same mistake as the Nazarenes! In a certain sense, Jesus returns to his country every time his Gospel is proclaimed in the countries which were, at one time, the cradle of Christianity.

Our Italy, and Europe in general, are, for Christianity, what Nazareth was for Jesus: "the place where he was raised" (Christianity was born in Asia, but grew up in Europe, a bit like Jesus who was born in Bethlehem but was raised in Nazareth!) Today they run the same risk as the Nazarenes: not to recognize Jesus. The Constitutional Charter of the new united Europe is not the only place from which he is "expelled" at present.

The episode of the Gospel teaches us something important. Jesus leaves us free; he proposes his gifts, he does not impose them. That day, in face of the rejection of his fellow countrymen, Jesus did not give way to threats and invectives. He did not say, indignant, as it is said the African Publius Scipio did, when leaving Rome: "Ungrateful country, you will not have my bones!" He simply went to another place.    Once he was not received in a certain village. The indignant disciples suggested that fire be brought down from heaven, but Jesus turned and rebuked them (Luke 9:54). 

That is how he acts also today. "God is timid." He has far more respect for our freedom than we ourselves have for one another's. This creates a great responsibility. St. Augustine said: "I am afraid of Jesus passing" (Timeo Jesum transeuntem). He might, in fact, pass without my realizing it, pass without my being ready to receive him.

His passing is always a passing of grace. Mark says succinctly that, having arrived in Nazareth on the Sabbath, Jesus "began to teach in the synagogue." However, the Gospel of Luke specifies also what he taught and said that Sabbath. He said he had come "to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).

What Jesus proclaimed in the synagogue of Nazareth was, therefore, the first Christian jubilee of history, the first great "year of grace," of which all jubilees and "holy years" are a commemoration.       

[Translation from the Italian original by ZENIT]    © Innovative Media Inc.