WE NEED TO FACE REJECTION WITH PROPHETIC COURAGE AND OPTIMISM
‘No prophet is ever accepted in his own country’
The central theme of today’s readings is that we should have and show in our communities the courage of our Christian convictions in our Faith and in its practice, even when we face hatred and rejection because of them.
Today’s Gospel shows us how Jesus faced skepticism and criticism with prophetic courage.
In our life, we may have experienced the pain of rejection, betrayal, abandonment, violated trust, neglect or abuse, even from friends and family members. Just like Jesus, we need to face rejection with prophetic courage and optimism. Perhaps we, too, have been guilty of ignoring or humiliating people with our arrogance and prejudice. Let us learn to correct our mistakes and face rejection from others with courage.
Let us not, like the people in Jesus’ hometown, reject God in our lives. We reject God when we are unwilling to be helped by God, or by others. Such unwillingness prevents us from recognizing God’s directions, help and support in our lives through His words in the Bible, through the teaching of the Church, and through the advice and examples of others.
Source: Gospel reflection by Fr Tony Kadavil available at http://frtonyshomilies.com