＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Ezekiel 2:2-5

 A spirit came upon me

As he spoke and kept me standing and then I heard him speak,  “Son of man, I am sending you to the Is­raelites, to a people who have rebelled against me; they and their fathers have sinned against me to this day.  Now I am sending you to these defiant and stubborn people to tell them ‘this is the Lord Yah­weh’s word.’ So, whether they listen or not this set of rebels will know there is a prophet among them.

 

Ps 123:1-2, 2, 3-4

Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

 However, I better give up lest somebody think more of me than what is seen in me or heard from me. Lest I become proud after so many and extra­ordinary revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a true messenger of Satan, to slap me in the face. Three times I prayed to the Lord that it leave me, but he answered, “My grace is enough for you; my great strength is revealed in weakness.”

Gladly, then, will I boast of my weakness that the strength of Christ may be mine. So I rejoice when I suffer infirmities, humiliations, want, persecutions: all for Christ! For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Mark 6:1-6

 Leaving that place, Jesus re­ turned to his own coun­try, and his dis­ciples followed him.  When the Sabbath came, he began teaching in the synagogue, and most of those who heard him were as­tonished. They commen­ted, “Howdid this come to him? What kind of wisdom has been given to him that he also performs such miracles?  Who is he but the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joset and Judas and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here among us?” So they took offense at him.

 And Jesus said to them, “Prophets are despised only in their own country, among their relatives and in their own family.”   And he could work no miracles there, but only healed a few sick people by laying his hands on them.  Jesus himself was astounded at their unbelief.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Read: Jesus returned to his home country and during the Sabbath began to teach in the synagogue. His words won the admiration of his countrymen and women. However, they knew him and his family. This familiarity made them hostile to his display of wisdom. Because of this, Jesus could not work miracles because their unbelief hindered his effort.

Reflect: Jesus returned to his hometown a famous man. He has disciples, and many from far away places follow his movements. It must have been difficult for his family to adjust to this new reality. His town mates have mixed feelings about his success. Some are genuinely happy while others turn sour puss.

They cannot believe that a family of carpenters can produce someone like him. Thus his family background with which all his town mates are very familiar, becomes a stumbling block to their faith in him. Familiarity gets in the way. Jesus is measured not only by his personal achievements but by the kind of family he has. No wonder not many believed in him.

They cannot accept that somebody as ordinary as them could reach a level of success that they could not even dream of. And so the homecoming of Jesus, instead of being a joyful occasion, is soured by the jealousy and envy of his town mates.

Response: How do we respond to the good fortune of others? It reveals our view on what we have or have achieved thus far in life. If we are prone to envy and jealousy then we know that we have many poverties of the heart. We can get to know them so that we can rid ourselves of their influence little by little.

So today, let us pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the good fortune of others. And let us not lose hope for the things we are waiting for. In God's own time, if they make us better persons, they will come to us.