Jesus returned to His hometown to teach in the local synagogue. Initially, the people were
amazed and astonished. Then they questioned where Jesus had gained such wisdom and miraculous powers. Their words didn’t come from a heart of faith but rather from curiosity and doubt. How can this be, they thought and asked? How can Joseph, the Carpenter, and Mary, His Mother, bear such an amazing son, the Messiah?
They didn’t accept Jesus and because of their lack of faith, He wasn’t able to heal and minister to the very people He had grown up with. Think of the reunion that could have happened had they had faith and allowed Christ to serve and help them! What joy and good tidings they would have experienced. We, too, cannot access the miraculous power of Christ today or obtain inner peace, joy, and love without a living faith.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus shares that “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” These people were very familiar with Christ and yet they did not know Him. They were closed to His ways and teachings. May we not fall into this same trap of superficial knowledge of Christ but no belief in His transforming power. Let us allow Christ to embrace us and lead us to the path of salvation.
Today is the First Friday of the Month, and we are invited to draw deeper into devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One way we can do that is by praying the First Friday Devotion given to us by St. Margaret Mary. We also recall the great saint, St. John Vianney, the patron Saint of Parish Priests. His work as a confessor is his most remarkable accomplishment. He would spend 12 hours a day reconciling people with God in the winter months. In the summer months, this time was increased to 16 hours. His fame as a great confessor spread throughout all of France, and toward the end of his life, he was receiving up to 20,000 pilgrims each year. In one of his sermons, St. John Vianney said, “The Lord is more anxious to forgive our sins than a woman is to carry her baby out of a burning building”.
St. John Vianney, Pray for us!
Permitiendo que Cristo nos Guíe por el Camino de la Salvación
Jesús regresó a su ciudad natal para enseñar en la sinagoga local. Al principio, la gente estaba
asombrado. Luego preguntaron de dónde había obtenido Jesús tanta sabiduría y poderes milagrosos. Sus palabras no procedían de un corazón de fe sino de la curiosidad y la duda. ¿Cómo puede ser esto?, pensaron y preguntaron. ¿Cómo pueden José, el Carpintero, y María, Su Madre, dar a luz a un hijo tan maravilloso, el Mesías?
No aceptaron a Jesús y debido a su falta de fe, no pudo sanar y ministrar a las mismas personas con las que había crecido. ¡Piense en la reunión que podría haber ocurrido si hubieran tenido fe y hubieran permitido que Cristo los sirviera y los ayudara! Qué alegría y qué buenas noticias habrían experimentado. Nosotros tampoco podemos acceder al poder milagroso de Cristo hoy u obtener paz interior, gozo y amor sin una fe viva.
En el Evangelio de hoy, Jesús comparte que “no hay profeta sin honra sino en su lugar natal y en su casa”. Estas personas estaban muy familiarizadas con Cristo y, sin embargo, no lo conocían. Estaban cerrados a sus caminos y enseñanzas. Que no caigamos en esta misma trampa de conocimiento superficial de Cristo pero sin creer en su poder transformador. Dejemos que Cristo nos acoje y nos conduzca por el camino de la salvación.
Hoy es el Primer Viernes del Mes, y estamos invitados a profundizar en la devoción al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. Una forma de hacerlo es rezando la Devoción del Primer Viernes que nos dio Santa Margarita María.
Recordamos también al gran santo, San Juan Vianney, patrón de los párrocos. Su labor como confesor es su logro más notable. Pasaba 12 horas al día reconciliando a la gente con Dios en los meses de invierno. En los meses de verano, este tiempo se aumentó a 16 horas. Su fama de gran confesor se extendió por toda Francia, y hacia el final de su vida recibía hasta 20,000 peregrinos cada año. En uno de sus sermones, San Juan Vianney dijo: “El Señor está más ansioso por perdonar nuestros pecados que una mujer por sacar a su bebé de un edificio encendido”.
San Juan Vianney, ¡Ruega por nosotros!
Emily Jaminet is a Catholic author, speaker, radio personality, wife, and mother of seven children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is the co-founder of www.inspirethefaith.com and the Executive Director of The Sacred Heart Enthronement Network www.WelcomeHisHeart.com. She has co-authored several Catholic books and her next one, Secrets of the Sacred Heart: Claiming Jesus’ Twelve Promises in Your Life, comes out in Oct. 2020. Emily serves on the board of the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference, contributes to Relevant Radio and Catholic Mom.com.
Feature Image Credit: Vytautas Markūnas SDB, cathopic.com/photo/24529-horizon-behind-the-olive-trees
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