My Dear People, 

The people of Nazareth, hard-hearted and unbelieving, are just like the Judeans of Ezekiel’s day. At stake is “pride”—they don’t want to admit a humble hometown boy has anything to teach them. They have a preconceived idea of Jesus. They have seen Jesus live in Nazareth and they know him as the Son of Mary and Joseph, and that He was a carpenter, So they had a clear idea of who Jesus was by the experience they had of Him when He lived in Nazareth. When Jesus revealed that He was the Anointed One, it was too much for them. This did not fit with their idea of Jesus, so they did not have any faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus could not perform any miracles there, due to their lack of faith. Their lack of faith impedes Christ’s work.

 Is this because God is not omnipotent? No, but He has chosen to make His healing power contingent on our faith. Faith is the means by which we accept the gift of God. God may give, but we have to accept. The people of Nazareth would not accept the gift of God among them. 

The people of Nazareth missed the experience of the power of God because they were overly familiar with Jesus and expected very little of Him. The same can be true of us. Over familiarity with Jesus, with the teaching of Scriptures, with the Eucharist and the Sacraments, can lead to a ho-hum attitude in which we no longer expect God’s power to " show up” in our lives. If we are experiencing “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints” (2 Cor 12;7) then, right now, let’s give thanks to God for them, because it is through these things that God often wakes us from our stupor.  

A life of radical holiness is possible for us, today! Starting now, with the very Mass when these Scriptures are read. What is holding us back is we don’t believe Jesus can do it for us.  Be receptive, faithful, and accept the gift from God.

According to Mark, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses; and Judas and Simon, and are not His sisters here with us?” (Mark 6:3). This brings up the question of whether there were other children of the blessed Virgin. Protestants use the text of today's Mass to disprove the perpetual virginity of Our Lady. However, the first two of our Lord’s “brothers” in Mark 6:3—namely, James and Joses—are expressly said to be the children of a different Mary who was present at the Cross in Mark. This other Mary is the Blessed Virgin’s sister-in-law, married to St. Joseph’s brother Cleophas (“Clophas”). 

(Reflections on Sunday Mass Readings for year B  by Dr. John Bergsma)

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente