Father Koch: Sometimes it’s difficult to see the work of God
July 5, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
Gospel reflection for July 7, 2024, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
We are all aware of how challenging it can be to discover that someone whom we know, especially throughout a good portion of their lives, achieves some level of success that we did not see coming. The obverse is also true. There are times when we are shocked that the highest achievers in school are less successful in their lives than we expected.
For some period of time, Jesus had been preaching, performing miracles, and attracting a great following. While it seems that as an adult, Jesus had left Nazareth and moved to Capernaum, he makes a return to Nazareth so that he can preach to those whom he has known throughout his life. The reception that he receives is not what his disciples expected, and even seems to take Jesus a bit by surprise.
An underlying question that plagues Jesus throughout his ministry is just where did he acquire his wisdom, teaching and power to perform his miracles? Earlier in his ministry we saw the first cohort of scribes come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They accused him of working under the power of Beelzebul. Now as Jesus returns to his hometown, those who have known him for his entire life are also perplexed by his preaching and the miracles. While there are some modern scholars who hold that Jesus must have traveled to some mysterious land -- perhaps to India, China or Egypt -- to learn the ways of the ancient spiritual masters and mystics, his neighbors do not seem to know of that and instead pose the natural question as to how the local boy became a messianic figure. They are unable to see the power of God present in their lives.
This is not the last time we will see this happen to Jesus. Later in this liturgical season we will read through the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel where, after Jesus emphasizes the necessity of eating his flesh and blood in order to share in the life he promised, the majority of them walked away and no longer followed him.
In a sense the mission of Jesus seems to be for the few and not for all. Not that he does not desire that all will follow him, seek repentance and follow the narrow path he has set out, but rather that most will choose not to follow Jesus.
What we see in the Gospel narratives are the many excuses that the people made then and continue to make today.
The obstacle set in Nazareth is that of familiarity. His neighbors, friends and even members of his own family, knew -- or believed they knew -- him too well. There was no way this son of a common working man, from the house down the road, could possibly preach, perform mighty signs and amass such a gathering.
Since they made their judgments, few of them were then able to listen to him, or have hearts disposed to his teaching. “He was amazed at their lack of faith.”
We make those judgments about Jesus. This why some hold that he must have gone somewhere exotic during the 30 years before he began his public ministry. We make those judgments about the Church, whether it is the Pope and the magisterium, our bishop, or our priests and pastoral leaders. Certainly, they have no real authority to teach; perhaps they are even out of step with modern thinking,and hold on to ancient customs that are merely dated and quaint, but certainly not relevant today.
It is perhaps increasingly difficult in an internet world, where all sorts of information (and misinformation) is merely a google search away to remain faithful to what we have seen and heard. Our familiarity with faith, with persons of faith, and with the pastors of our Church means that we know where the warts and scars are located. Our familiarity with the rituals and the teachings of the Church can make them ordinary and rote.
The compatriots of Jesus in Nazareth were looking at his warts and failed to see the work of God in their lives. They were blinded from seeing with a sense of awe at what God can do and does do each and every day of our lives.
Let us pray for the gift to see things new; to recognize in our own warts and scars the merciful presence of our Lord, and thereby see past the familiar warts and scars of the Church, our Pope and bishops, pastors, and religious, catechists and fellow worshipers. Then we will be able to see the mighty works of God present in our midst.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.
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Gospel reflection for July 7, 2024, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
We are all aware of how challenging it can be to discover that someone whom we know, especially throughout a good portion of their lives, achieves some level of success that we did not see coming. The obverse is also true. There are times when we are shocked that the highest achievers in school are less successful in their lives than we expected.
For some period of time, Jesus had been preaching, performing miracles, and attracting a great following. While it seems that as an adult, Jesus had left Nazareth and moved to Capernaum, he makes a return to Nazareth so that he can preach to those whom he has known throughout his life. The reception that he receives is not what his disciples expected, and even seems to take Jesus a bit by surprise.
An underlying question that plagues Jesus throughout his ministry is just where did he acquire his wisdom, teaching and power to perform his miracles? Earlier in his ministry we saw the first cohort of scribes come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They accused him of working under the power of Beelzebul. Now as Jesus returns to his hometown, those who have known him for his entire life are also perplexed by his preaching and the miracles. While there are some modern scholars who hold that Jesus must have traveled to some mysterious land -- perhaps to India, China or Egypt -- to learn the ways of the ancient spiritual masters and mystics, his neighbors do not seem to know of that and instead pose the natural question as to how the local boy became a messianic figure. They are unable to see the power of God present in their lives.
This is not the last time we will see this happen to Jesus. Later in this liturgical season we will read through the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel where, after Jesus emphasizes the necessity of eating his flesh and blood in order to share in the life he promised, the majority of them walked away and no longer followed him.
In a sense the mission of Jesus seems to be for the few and not for all. Not that he does not desire that all will follow him, seek repentance and follow the narrow path he has set out, but rather that most will choose not to follow Jesus.
What we see in the Gospel narratives are the many excuses that the people made then and continue to make today.
The obstacle set in Nazareth is that of familiarity. His neighbors, friends and even members of his own family, knew -- or believed they knew -- him too well. There was no way this son of a common working man, from the house down the road, could possibly preach, perform mighty signs and amass such a gathering.
Since they made their judgments, few of them were then able to listen to him, or have hearts disposed to his teaching. “He was amazed at their lack of faith.”
We make those judgments about Jesus. This why some hold that he must have gone somewhere exotic during the 30 years before he began his public ministry. We make those judgments about the Church, whether it is the Pope and the magisterium, our bishop, or our priests and pastoral leaders. Certainly, they have no real authority to teach; perhaps they are even out of step with modern thinking,and hold on to ancient customs that are merely dated and quaint, but certainly not relevant today.
It is perhaps increasingly difficult in an internet world, where all sorts of information (and misinformation) is merely a google search away to remain faithful to what we have seen and heard. Our familiarity with faith, with persons of faith, and with the pastors of our Church means that we know where the warts and scars are located. Our familiarity with the rituals and the teachings of the Church can make them ordinary and rote.
The compatriots of Jesus in Nazareth were looking at his warts and failed to see the work of God in their lives. They were blinded from seeing with a sense of awe at what God can do and does do each and every day of our lives.
Let us pray for the gift to see things new; to recognize in our own warts and scars the merciful presence of our Lord, and thereby see past the familiar warts and scars of the Church, our Pope and bishops, pastors, and religious, catechists and fellow worshipers. Then we will be able to see the mighty works of God present in our midst.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.