July 5, 2015

14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time B

Ezekiel 2: 2-52 Corinthians 12: 7-10; Mark 6: 1-6

What is my biggest flaw? What is it that haunts me that I really would like to get rid of but it seems to be present in me more often than not? In looking at myself, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I have a whole bunch of sins that pop up in my life. Many of these have been with me for centuries. When I confess these in the sacrament of Reconciliation I truly hope that they will never return; but they do. What is it about me that I do not like? What do I constantly work on to limit their occurrences but like an ‘old penny’ they just pop up when I’m least prepared or more prone to give in?

I could give a list of each of the above. The readings take up this topic and point me in the direction of faith. How deep is my faith? How open am I to the workings of God in my life? How adaptable am I to change? Am I about my own agenda or about God’s agenda for me? What is it in me that presents the biggest obstacle to my ‘opening’ myself to God? Paul in his letter to the Corinthians calls his obstacle “a thorn in the flesh”. I could pinpoint a few ‘thorns in my flesh’ which I am not happy about. Do I give them to the Lord? Do I understand what the Lord said to Paul about this, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness?”

Ezekiel is also struggling. He is not feeling appreciated, something that’s common among the prophets. The Lord describes the people He is sending the prophet to: the “Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against Me; they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.” This certainly doesn’t seem like a great group of people to bring God’s message of peace and love. And the Lord describes them as, “hard of face and obstinate of heart.” They don’t seem to be an appealing audience. The Lord is telling Ezekiel that this is not his problem. He has a job. He is to speak the word of God. That is all. The outcome is not in Ezekiel’s hands. God wants them to know that “whether they heed or resist … they shall know that a prophet has been among them.” The prophet is not to look for success and appreciation…if he does, he will be disappointed. In my life do I want to be successful? Yes I do. When I give direction, when I preach, when I celebrate the liturgy is it about me being applauded or listened to or is it about God? It seems to me that in reading the Scriptures I was never called to be God, I am called so that people can see God in me. They do that by my love and example. Am I concentrating on being love or being appreciated and accepted?

Jesus in the gospel passage is experiencing a ‘thorn in the flesh’ too. He had just come from performing two miracles in Capernaum, the curing of the woman with the hemorrhage and the raising to life of the daughter of Jairus. Now he goes up to the hill country of his hometown Nazareth. He had lived there a good twenty years, learning the carpentry trade and taking over Joseph’s business when he died. He goes to the synagogue where He had spent countless hours and began to teach the people. His listeners are amazed at His wisdom and teaching ability and the mighty deeds – miracles – that Jesus has performed. Yet they are ‘boiling over inside’; they feel they know Him. They know all about Him. Who does He think He is by telling them how to live? And Jesus responded, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” And Jesus did not perform any miracles because of their lack of faith. When I’m looking at myself, I am not realizing that faith is a gift from God to me. Do I expect this gift to do ‘this and that’ for me or do I see that it is a gift to bring me closer to God and my salvation and God is in control?

I return to Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ that was given to him to keep him from being too excited by his own successes. “Three times I begged the Lord about this that it might leave me…” Then he was told that God’s grace will take care of him as he continues the mission given by God. What was this thorn? Scholars only guess at what it was: some propose that it may have been problem with his eyes. Paul starts out by telling all he had endured: weaknesses, insults, hardship, persecutions, constraints. And then is this ‘thorn in the side.’ I can imagine him saying…for all I did for you, don’t you think Lord, you can take this ‘pain’ away? But God want Paul to be faithful, not concentrate on success. This is the same message to me and every follower of Jesus: be faithful in sharing God’s love all the time, to each and every person. God takes care of my success which may take years but will come in God’s time.

I’m reminded of a funny story from Teresa of Avila who was assigned the task by God to reform the Carmelite order. One day, after falling out of her carriage into the mud, she complained to Jesus at being treated in this way while trying to serve Him. The voice of Jesus then came to her: This is how I treat my friends, Teresa.” Wiping the mud from her face, she replied, “No wonder you have so few!” So I am told to have faith.

When I protect myself from the pain in the world, I say, ‘What can I do’? I feel small and hopelessly ineffective. Yet every great movement for change in the history of the world has started on the level of the individual. All God does is call me to be love? Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, you don’t think about insurmountable multitudes. You just begin, you pick up one. Alice Camille in Exploring the Sunday Readings says, “We can imagine that Paul, a deeply zealous and not always likeable fellow, might have personally preferred a method of Church governance that would make his authority unassailable. For a leader, being feared has its advantages! But Paul learned, from Jesus Himself, that weakness is the way to real power. Empty yourself of the need for control. If you’re not afraid of death, no one can hurt you.” Jesus is asking me to be obedient to God’s word which means that I have to trust and hope in Him and be obedient to His commands.

So I reflect on:

• Have either success or failure ever led me to forget the role of God in my life?
• In what way do I serve as a ‘prophet’, making God’s word and will present in the world?
• How is my faith challenged by those around me? What happens when I put myself in someone else’s shoes and listen to what I am saying about my faith? Am I self-righteous? Wishy-washy? Strong in my convictions? How can I share my faith and not turn people off?

Sacred Space 2015 shares:

“Why do His fellow townspeople take offence at Jesus? Why do they resent this ordinary building worker they all knew so well? Do I tend to pull people down to my own low level, or do help them to feel as great as God has made them?
For Jesus, this event is a learning experience.

He is shocked at His hostile reception. While He is truly God, He is truly man, too. He does not know everything but grows in wisdom, as we do. God is patient with me as I grow through making mistakes.”