Homily for August 3, 2018.
_“Coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?’” *(Matthew 13:54)*_
While Jesus faces rejection from his own countrymen in today’s Gospel passage, Jeremiah is almost lynched by the priests, prophets and people in our first reading. The question is: “What did Jesus or Jeremiah do to deserve such harsh treatment?”
Dear friends, when we are hit by the truth, two things happen; either we fight our sinfulness and repent or we fight the person who is telling us the truth. And most often, it is the second option we take. This second option is the reason why both Jeremiah and Jesus faced rejection.
In the case of Jeremiah, the priests, prophets and people told him directly: “You shall die…” These people had become so hardened in their hearts that they could no longer see anything wrong in their evil ways. They had priests and prophets just like our modern day prosperity preachers who were focused on pampering them rather than tell them the truth.
For Jesus, his countrymen could not fathom the fact that a “mere son of a carpenter” could suddenly become so wise and so powerful. They had a choice to make; either to accept Jesus as God in their midst or to treat Him as a mere human being claiming to be something He wasn’t. For them, Jesus could not be God because he had a family, he had a mother and he had brothers and sisters.
Matthew tells us that they took offence at Jesus. Not only did they fail to believe, they were angry with Jesus for attempting to “deceive” them. Rather than look inwards and examine themselves, they were antagonistic towards Jesus.
Dear friends, truth like medicine is always bitter. It may be difficult to swallow but in the end, it brings healing. Truth is disruptive, it shakes you out of your comfort zone, out of your sinful lifestyle and bad habits. The essence of prophecy is not entertaining people with predictions about the future, it is simply telling people the truth that will bring them to repentance.
Never be afraid of the truth even when it hurts. Embrace it, do not fight the mouth that tells you the truth because as they say, only your friend will tell you the truth.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, give me the wisdom to recognise the truth and apply it in my life and the grace of humility to accept corrections. Amen.
*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Jeremiah 26:1-9, Psalm 69:5-14, Matthew 13:54-58).
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