MONDAY OF THE 3rd WEEK OF LENT

1.2Kings 5:1-15a

Gospel: Lk 4:24-30

"The Rejection at Nazareth"

There is an interesting article entitled " A priest Is Always Wrong." It runs this way

If he starts the Mass on time, people will say his watch is wrong

But if he starts the Mass on time, people say his watch is wrong

If he preaches too long, they say they get bored

But if his homily is too short, they say he is unprepared

If he asks for donation, they say he is greedy

But if he does not ask, they say he is proud and lazy

If he visits houses, they say he is always out

But if he stays in the convent, they say that he has no time for them

If he is too young, they say he has not experience

But if he is too old, they say he should retire

But when a priest dies, nobody can take his place.

Dear brothers and sisters in our today's gospel Jesus is back in Nazareth and He is speaking in the synagogue, in this context people assume that He is their town mate, thus He is obliged to perform miracles for them before anyone else, their sick people should be healed first, but Jesus challenged them that he had to perform miracles not only to them but also to all; that God cares for all of His people and that when it comes to help He has no favorites. He cites the examples of two famous prophets: Elijah, who worked a miracle to feed a widow of Zarephath ( 1Kings 17:9) in the pagan territory of Sidon when there was a famine throughout Israel; and Elisha who cleansed Naaman the Syrian ( 2Kings7:1,3) of his leprosy though he was a foreigner and therefore an enemy. Consequently this angers His listeners who consider themselves to have a monopoly on God. They consider themselves to be God's chosen people so they resent the fact that Jesus was putting them all on the same level.

PASTORAL APPLICATION ON THE READINGS

What happened to Jesus some 2000 years ago back in His home town could happen again today to anybody giving advice to others in their own place. ' No prophet is accepted in his own place," has become a common saying whenever one's advice is not accepted by people belonging to one's family, friends or place. The people in Jesus' town might have known Him as a child and then as a young person growing up in their place. However, when Jesus preached to them they argued to each other: Who is He to tell us what to do and not to do? Most people do not like to be told what to do more so often  when the advice comes from people of their own kind.

There is a story that is relevant to today's readings. The story is about Joseph. One day a somewhat desperate mother approached Joseph and asked him to help convince her son to stop smoking. Joseph first listened to her then, asked her to come back the following week. When the appointed time arrived, Joseph told the woman's son to stop-smoking. The mother, very perplexed, asked Joseph why he had not told her son to stop smoking the week before. Joseph's response was simple: Last week I could not tell your son to stop smoking because I was still smoking myself." Becoming a prophet acceptable in one's own place will mean changing one's own place will mean changing one's own life first.