From the responsorial psalm: “But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity to eternity toward those who fear him, And his justice toward children’s children among those who keep his covenant. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today’s readings)
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.
As Jesus return to his hometown of Nazareth, he receives mixed reactions from people who have known him and seen him grow up in the home of Mary and Joseph. Some of those people who knew him well regarded him with disbelief. What this suggests about faith is that that a lack of it can limit the recognition of and response to divine power at work in our lives. The rejection Jesus experiences in Nazareth is a reminder of our own understanding and discernment of the complexities of faith in light of what is familiar to us.
God, help me understand how thin the veil is that separates the reality of your presence from what I see with my eyes. Often, I go through the day attentive to what I perceive through my senses, yet you are no less real or no less present than the outdoors just beyond my dining room window. Give me the grace to grow in my faith that the same Jesus who lived among his neighbors, friends, and family is the risen Christ alive today at your right hand and truly present in the sacraments. Saint Agatha, pray for us!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.