"The Struggle is Real" A Reflection on The Gospel for July 8, 2018: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 6:1-6
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1 He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! 3 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?" And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.

​I love an enthusiastic response to something I’m excited about. When I share an idea that I think will be a lot of fun, or will help build community or bring others closer to Jesus—I’m expecting an enthusiastic response. When I don’t get it, I become deflated pretty easily. I have the tendency to build up an idea in my head, and then get so excited by it! But if I don’t receive the same enthusiasm in return, I can very easily turn to feelings of disappointment and discouragement. Fortunately, I’m blessed with a community of enthusiastic friends at Saint Benedict Parish.

Imagine how excited Jesus was when He was returning home to share His incredible message of love with His family and friends. After all, if we’ve experienced God’s love in a personal way, we know the joy that comes with that, and we want our loved ones to know that joy too. How discouraged Jesus must have felt when His message was rejected by those He loved.

It would be nice to believe that a faith-filled message of transformational love from God our Father—delivered by someone we know—would be easiest to accept. But as the gospel points out—in reality, it can be harder to accept, because we’re not willing to believe that God would choose to work through that person. Sometimes our pride can get in the way of actually seeing God reaching out to us through others. We are not always willing to see past the other’s sins. We don’t want to believe that God would choose to work through someone who we perceive to be no better than ourselves. We tend to want to put God in a box. We actually think that we could know how He would choose to work. When we do this, we miss out on encountering Jesus. But when we become open to these possibilities, we can see Jesus in every encounter.

As I reflect on the idea of sharing God’s message in our home towns, I think about all of the Divine Renovation delegates who visited our parish in June. I think of all those who had transformational experiences, or became enriched with new ideas of parish renewal, and who are now sharing that message with the folks back home. I was blessed to have a conversation with a few visitors, who shared the struggles they face in attempting to bring renewal to their churches—and my heart goes out to them. Will their communities back home be willing to accept that God is at work in them, and embrace what they want to do for His church? I have so much admiration for those who preach the gospel with passion and zeal despite the rejection and criticism from others.

Let us pray: Father help us all to remain steadfast to your mission when we feel rejected by others. As an invitational parish, don’t let discouragement prevent us from continuing to invite.

Tammy LeBlanc

"... if we’ve experienced God’s love in a personal way, we know the joy that comes with that, and we want our loved ones to know that joy too."
​- Tammy LeBlanc (Ora Reflections)