Gospel Reflections for July 8 2018
Wisdom from unexpected places
In today’s Gospel, Jesus returns to His home town of Nazareth and enters the Synagogue for Sabbath services. He is offered the chance to speak to the people gathered there, which he accepts. He rises to give a compelling message filled with great wisdom. However, it is not accepted very well at all! Why is that?
Knowing something of ancient culture can help. In those days, people were born into specific economic and social classes. Whatever class you started in was where you stayed. People never expected to rise to upper levels as we would normally hope for ourselves today. It was just not done back then!
Jesus offers very compelling wisdom in His message that would never have been expected of a lowly carpenter’s son. “Where did He get all this? Is this not the carpenter’s son?”
Rather than learn from Our Lord’s profound wisdom, the people focus instead on His lowly status …and refuse to hear Him. What a missed opportunity!
You might know of the famous animation company, Pixar. This film studio has created some of the most popular and successful animated films ever, such as the Toy Story series and Finding Nemo. Pixar is one of the most creative and innovative studios in the film industry today. The founder of the studio developed a principle that he believes is the foundation of their success, which is that an amazing creative idea can come from anyone, anywhere, and at any time. That means that every single person at the company, from the janitor up to the CEO is carefully listened to whenever they offer an idea.
Pixar’s success could have come from this Gospel account of Jesus in His hometown synagogue in Nazareth!
Make no mistake. Wisdom can be found all around you, and often in unexpected places, and perhaps even among the people closest to you. We might not think to look there because the people around us are all too familiar. Perhaps we have taken them for granted. Don’t make the same mistake the people made in today’s Gospel when they rejected the words of their next door neighbor, Jesus.
Jesus invites us to pay less attention to titles or status and more to authentic wisdom, which might even come from anyone, anytime …and even from those closest to you.
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
thank you
alejandro
An awesome reminder!
Thank you!
Thank you Fr. Dave.
This reading often reminds me of children and their voice of innocent reason.
Well said!
Sometimes we discredit people and reject the wisdom that they have.
We say they are just ordinary people who have nothing to make them credible.
The Lord gives gives grace to whomever He will and we in like mind recognize
the spirit of the Lord within them.
Like you say, Fr. Dave, they rejected Jesus, and they still do, when they questioned His
profound wisdom.
Maybe I should talk less and listen more it might be the Lord making something
known to me.
Yes, sometimes silence allows us to hear Our Lord better.
Yes I agree with listening to authentic wisdom. Imagine a world where everyone was given a chance for their prayers and ideas to be accepted. I think that is called a parish.
The gospel has such deep wisdom to hear and always twice as much if you study the readings and pray them before Sunday mass.
Jesus is so great at giving us joy and peace.
I am so grateful every time I have the chance to pray and show that love to my sweet family.
God Bless
Jane
Well said!
Your reflection reminded me of something that happened 2 weeks ago. On Saturdays for about 5 years I have been going to a Messianic meeting which has been great in learning more of the Old Testament and meanings. It really helped in understanding my Catholic background. The Rabbi asked me to do a Torah reflection and I did he kept asking me to do it and for 5 years I had been doing it.
The Rabbi moved to Big Bear and the one taking his place isn’t a Rabbi and even though he is a great studlier of the Word I had my own doubts on his direction. Then 2 Weeks ago the young mans mother asked where I go to church and I told him St. Rose. Now everyone else thee knew where I went to Church but somehow he didn’t. Well my answer was that it was inter denominational. Her son got irritated with her but I just laughed it off as most people there don’t take her serious and neither did I.
Well for that week it kept coming back to me, her comment. I believe the Lord used the most unlikely person to hit me with the news that it was time to stop,. I plan, God willing, to help with the Alpha program and also take the apologetic classes. I have studied apologetic with Fr. Jeff when I came back to the church but I also know thee is a lot more to learn and I think I am taking 2 maybe 3 girls – 2 of which left the church – and 1 has never been a Catholic but believes in the real presence.
I am glad you will be involved in Alpha and some apologetic courses. I am a big fan of both!
So true, so profound!
Looking forward to next week’s Reflection, I remain with deep esteem,
Thank you so much! I appreciate it.
Dear Father Dave,
I think of wisdom as a growth ideology immersed in hearts and minds. The wisdom of Jesus is that and so much more. Unlike us, I think the beatific Jesus draws from the depths of the universe, the genesis of creation, and the magnitude of God the Father, Like us, Jesus reasons experience, philosophy, and calculable behavior.
Thank you, Father Dave, for your words of wisdom in opening our hearts and minds to this unmistakable and sad response to Jesus from his “neighbors.” Perhaps this is an ongoing metaphor to today’s society.
God bless you.
Kathleen
So sorry for a typo! Please note a correction in my above comment. There should be a period after God the Father.
No problem!
Thank you for this reflection, Fr Dave, It opened my eyes & heart. Also, I, appreciated the information on how ancient culture worked in those days. It helped me to understand this particular scripture better.
You are very welcome! I am glad you found the article helpful. Glad you joined the Holy Land trip this year as well.