A Homily for Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Friday, August 2, 2024
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Jerimiah 26:1-9; Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14; Matthew 13:54-58
Audio Recording
Jesus’ familiarity to his neighbors in Nazareth prevented them from seeing his divine wisdom and power for what it was. They were not open to the revelation of God’s presence in and through someone who was just like themselves in so many ways.
This experience reminds us that it’s easy to miss God’s presence in our daily lives. If those closest to Jesus didn’t recognize His virtue and holiness, how much more might we miss it in others? Perhaps because of pride and anger, we’re more likely to focus on others’ faults and sins than their virtues. This Gospel story should encourage us to look beyond the surface and see God in every life we encounter.
We are reminded that God is often wisely and powerfully present in the familiar and the ordinary. We can be tempted to look for God in extraordinary and unusual phenomena. We may even be tempted to think that the ordinary teachings of the Church are not enough for us…we may seek to find something extraordinary, even something novel, to inspire greater faith. But, the mystery of the Incarnation proclaims that God-in-Christ is touching our lives in and through the ordinary, day-to-day experiences of life. Through the “ordinary” teachings of Mother Church.
The people of Nazareth could not come to terms with God who was powerfully present in one like themselves. One who they had known for years as he grew up and practiced his trade within in their small community. Yet, this is the mystery that’s at the heart of our faith. God became human in Jesus.
When we look upon the human life of Jesus, his words and deeds, his ministry, his death, we are looking upon the face of the Word of God himself. This is a mystery to be delighted in, rather than rejected. Just as God came to us through one like us in all things but sin, so God continues to come to us in and through the ordinary circumstances of our day to day lives.
If we have eyes to see, we will see him. If we have ears to hear, we will hear him. We will find him present everywhere, in everyone we meet, saint and sinner alike. See the good in others, see Christ in them, rather than finding fault with them. As St. Therese of Liseux said, “True charity consists in bearing all our neighbor’s defects — not being surprised at their weakness, but edified at their smallest virtues.”
Unlike Jesus’ Nazarean neighbors, let’s not miss God’s presence as He reveals himself to us today in those people and circumstances most familiar to us and in ways we least expect. Let’s look for him throughout our day and we will certainly find him if we abandon our preconceived ideas about how and where he makes Himself present to us. He is always with us and is truly present in the ordinary experiences of our day.