Jer 1:4-5, 17-19; 1 Cor 12:31--13:13; Lk 4:21-30
In September of 1997 there was a groundbreaking service for a Catholic cathedral that was going to be constructed in Los Angeles. The Diocese of Los Angeles commissioned the famous Spanish architect Jose Rafael Moneo to design the building. Their hope was that the cathedral would be completed by the beginning of the millennium. It was to be a peculiar witness to the glory of God. There were models of the cathedral at the groundbreaking service, and on the basis of the models a Los Angeles Times reporter wrote a review of the cathedral. This is a part of what the reporter said: “Moneo is creating an alternate world to the everyday world that surrounds the cathedral, a testimony to grandeur of the human spirit, an antidote to a world that is increasingly spiritually empty.” Then he wrote this sentence: “The cathedral, set in the midst of the secular city, will be an enclave of resistance.” What an image . . . the Church an enclave of resistance. The words “an enclave of resistance” should be a part of the mission statement of every church in the city, “an enclave of resistance against all that diminishes human life”. Today’s gospel, presenting Jesus, the liberator, challenges us to become enclaves of resistance to the attacks on Christians by the atheistic and agnostic media and liberal politicians and judges.
Introduction: The central theme of today’s readings is that we should have and show the courage of our Christian convictions in our day-to-day lives in our communities, when we face hatred and rejection because of our Christian faith. In both the first reading and the gospel, Jeremiah and Jesus are presented as prophets, chosen, consecrated and sent to their brothers and sisters as emissaries of the Word of God. The first reading tells us how God called Jeremiah as His prophet and equipped him to face opposition and rejection. In his prophetic vocation, which he lived out while encountering rejection and persecution, Jeremiah anticipated Jesus, the greatest of all prophets. Today’s Psalm (71), expresses the feelings of one who encounters opposition but trusts deeply in God’s protection, and determines to continue his proclamations of God’s justice and wondrous deeds in spite of the negative response. In the second reading, we hear Paul speaking with the courage of his convictions in correcting the Corinthian Christian community where the exercise of God's gifts was causing competition, jealousy and divisiveness. He courageously presents to them a "way" which surpasses all others, namely, the way of love. He warns them that, if exercised without love, even the gifts of tongues, knowledge, faith and generosity are useless. Then Paul spells out for them and us the true nature of love. Today’s Gospel is a continuation of last Sunday’s gospel, presenting his own people’s reaction to Jesus’ “Inaugural Address.” The reading shows us how Jesus faced skepticism and criticism with prophetic courage. Along with Jeremiah, Jesus and Paul believed that they were commissioned by God to proclaim a disturbing prophetic message (Jer 1: 4-5, 17-19). No matter how strong the opposition, the three had the conviction that God was with them.
First reading, Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19: Today's first reading prepares us to hear the gospel, Luke 4:21-30, where Jesus, early in his mission, faces stiff opposition and compares himself to the prophets who had come before him. The prophet Jeremiah (600-550 BC), never held back in describing the persecution he suffered. Here, in the first sentences of his book, Jeremiah describes how God called him, bolstered up his faith and courage, and predicted the opposition he would endure. Speaking to Jeremiah, God makes four assertions: “I formed you” (as a potter forms clay), “I knew you” (referring to the intimate relationship between God and Jeremiah), “I dedicated you” (consecrating Jeremiah to do God’s work), and “I appointed you” (to a mission as His prophet to Israel). At the start of Jeremiah's ministry, Yahweh warns the young prophet not to be intimidated by those to whom he prophesizes (Jer 1: 4-5, 17-19). "They will fight against you," Yahweh warns, "but will not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you." During his lifetime Jeremiah was considered a total failure, but in later times he has been recognized as one of Israel’s greatest prophets. Jeremiah is a wonderful example of “the triumph of failure."
Second Reading, 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13: There were diverse manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit among the Christians living in the Greek seaport, Corinth. Paul spends chapters 12, 13 and 14 of this letter trying to get the Corinthians to enjoy and express their gifts in ways that give strength to the community and glory to God. Paul is addressing a community on the verge of self-destruction because of the Corinthians’ inability to recognize that Jesus is present in each member of the community. So he advises them to use their spiritual gifts for the unification of the Church, by humble submission to lawful authorities, by bidding farewell to rivalries, and by the re-direction of their efforts toward mutual service. Paul also warns them that, if exercised without love, even the gifts of tongues, knowledge, faith, prophecy, and generosity are useless. So he instructs them to recognize Christ in one another and treat each other accordingly. The only way for them, and for us, to treat others is with love. Paul concludes the chapter by affirming that even the greatest of virtues, faith and hope, cannot exist without love, the driving force of all life in time and in eternity.
Exegesis: Amazement turning to hatred. The first reaction of the people in the synagogue to Jesus' words was one of astonishment. They were amazed that one of their fellow villagers could speak with such grace and eloquence and with such authority. Luke says they were "amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips," because they knew him only as a carpenter from a poor family, with no formal training in Mosaic Law. But their amazement turned into displeasure when, during his “Inaugural Address” or “Mission Statement,” Jesus took upon himself the identity of a prophet, different from the image of the miracle-worker that people wished to see. Like the other prophets of the past, Jesus called upon people to relinquish their selfishness, faithlessness, and lack of justice and mercy (Mic 6:6-8), and their sinfulness. Hence, their displeasure turned into anger when Jesus claimed that he was the promised Messiah of Isaiah’s prophecy. They challenged his Messianic claim, asking, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” They could not understand how a mere carpenter could be the Messiah who would liberate them from Roman rule and reestablish the Davidic kingdom. Jesus explained their attitude by saying “No prophet is accepted in his native place.”
Jesus’ reaction to His people’s skepticism: In response to his townsmen's skepticism, Jesus referred to the Biblical stories of how God blessed two Gentiles, while rejecting the many Jews in similar situations. The reason for this was that these Gentiles were more open to the prophets than the Jewish people. First, Jesus reminded them of the Gentile widow of Zarephath, a village on the coast of present-day Lebanon, near Sidon (1 Kings 17:7-24). The Prophet Elijah stayed with her and her son during last year of the three-and-a-half-year drought that preceded Elijah's part in the Lord God’s victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Because of her kindness to the prophet, the widow's small jar of flour and tiny jug of oil were never depleted. Later, when the widow's son died, Elijah's prayers revived him from the dead. No Israelite received such a blessing.
Naaman’s healing presented as reward of faith: Then Jesus recalled for his listeners of the story of Naaman, the Syrian Military General. Naaman had contracted leprosy, but when he heard that the Prophet Elisha had the power to heal, he appealed to the prophet for help. At Elisha's word, Naaman bathed seven times in the Jordan, after which his leprosy was healed and his skin was restored, becoming like that of a child. There were many lepers in Israel at the time, commented Jesus, but only this foreigner was healed because he had faith in the man of God.
Total rejection and attempted murder: Jesus' words implied that, like the Israelites of those former days, the people of his hometown, were unable to receive miracles because of their disbelief. Consequently, in former times God had bestowed miracles on the Gentiles who believed in Him. Jesus, like the earlier prophets (Jer 37:12-38:6; Mal 1:2, 6, 7, 13; Mic 3:5-8), dared to speak the truth to people who did not want to hear it. Jesus’ reference to the unbelief of the Jews and to the stronger faith of the Gentiles infuriated his listeners. "Good" people don't like to be reminded that God can and does work through religious systems other than their own, and even through individuals who are outside any religious system. Hence, without a trial or even a hearing, and in violation of both Jewish and Roman Law, his townspeople rushed to seize Jesus and throw him over the edge of the cliff on which their town was built. But Jesus escaped because “his hour had not yet come.” This rejection of Jesus by his own townsfolk must have sincerely grieved him. Later John wrote, "To his own he came but his own did not accept him" (John 1: 11). This rejection in Nazareth foreshadowed the opposition and rejection that Jesus would experience in the coming years, culminating in his crucifixion. Today’s gospel tells us that prophets are rarely accepted among their own people. The pacifism of Dorothy Day, for example, was an embarrassment to the hierarchy. Archbishop Oscar Romero was hated by those in power, not simply because of his commitment to liberation theology and his advocacy of the poor, but because he was seen as opposing the ruling upper classes who felt the church was “their own.”
Life messages: 1) Let us face rejection with prophetic courage and optimism. The story of Jesus' rejection in his own hometown is a story that we can identify with, because it is a story that has happened to most of us. Perhaps we have experienced the pain of rejection, betrayal, abandonment, violated trust, neglect or abuse. What about rejection by those closest to us? Often our friends, families, or childhood companions fail to listen to us, refuse our advice, and reject the words of grace, love and encouragement that we offer to them because they are unable to see us as God's appointed instruments, the agents of God's healing and saving grace. Perhaps we ourselves are guilty of such rejection. How often have we discounted people through prejudice? We must realize that God's power is always available to transform even the most unlikely people, and that His power may come to us through unlikely instruments.
2) Let us not, like the people in Jesus' hometown, reject God in our lives. The story of Jesus' rejection by his townsfolk is also a story about how we often ignore and reject God. Are we unwilling to be helped by God, or by others? Does our pride or lack of trust stop us from seeing or recognizing God’s purpose? Does it prevent us from recognizing God’s direction, help and support in our lives through His words in the Bible and through the advice and examples of others? God calls us in many ways. Are we willing to listen to this calling and discover our role in carrying out God’s purpose?
3) We must have the prophetic courage of our convictions. By our baptism, God calls us to be prophets like Jesus, sharing his prophetic mission. The task of a prophet is to speak and to live out God’s truth. We must never be afraid of this call, for it is Jesus who will supply us with the courage, the words and the deeds we will need to oppose the many evils in our society. By legalizing abortion in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the killing of over forty- seven million unborn children in forty years. The Roe versus Wade decision is currently permitting the brutal execution of 4400 unborn babies every day. Our television and movie conglomerates, which are supported by the money paid by millions of Americans and many large corporate sponsors, are spewing forth pornographic material that is poisoning our children and our society. Our society tells adults and youngsters that promiscuous sex, drugs, gambling and alcohol are legitimate pleasures for modern, liberated people. Our country needs to hear God’s Truth from Spirit-filled Christians with the prophetic courage of their convictions. Heroes like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King consistently refused to retaliate violently while affirming the dignity of every person, including their enemies.
4) We need to follow Christ, not political correctness, and to speak the truth of Christ without being hypocritical or disrespectful. We must never remain silent in the face of evil for fear of being thought "politically incorrect." Jesus was not against conflict if it promoted truth. He taught us to give respect and freedom without condoning or encouraging sinful behavior. That was the example given by Martin Luther King and his civil rights marchers singing, "We shall overcome," as they were carted off to jail, were washed down with fire hoses and had savage Alsatian dogs loosed on them. Love does not tolerate destructive behavior, but it sometimes causes pain--just as a surgeon must sometimes hurt in order to heal. We need to be kind, charitable, honest, forgiving and clear in speaking out our Christian convictions as Jesus was when He spoke in the synagogue.
There was a beautiful article about Mother Teresa in Time magazine. She was asked about the materialism of the West. She said, "The more you have, the more you are occupied," she contends. "But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is a joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. This is the only fan in the whole house...and it is for the guests. But we are happy. "I find the rich poorer," she continues. "Sometimes they are more lonely inside...The hunger for love is much more difficult to fill than the hunger for bread...The real poor know what is joy." When asked about her plans for the future, she replied, "I just take one day. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not come. We have only today to love Jesus." Is there anyone in this room as rich as Mother Teresa?
(Homilies of Fr. Anthony Kadavil)
