From the Deacon's Desk

Each day, I reflect upon a word or a phrase inspired by the readings of the day. I encourage you to do the same and perhaps incorporate that word or phrase into your daily prayer.

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” (Mark 6:1-6)

ACCEPTING JESUS: These words from Mark’s gospel come from Jesus after he was rejected in his hometown. The people who lived in his native place could not wrap their minds around the fact that Jesus, the young man they watched grow up, was “special” in some way. It made them uncomfortable, so better to reject the notion.

I think of this Gospel passage when we pick and choose which directives of Jesus we follow. We consider ourselves good Christian people, but we often ignore or reject those teachings that make us uncomfortable.

We are all for Jesus, but we don’t really have time for him other than an hour on Sunday. We claim to be pro-life, but we can’t concern ourselves with the needs of the elderly, the immigrants, the imprisoned, or the homeless. We are called to share the gospel message, but that makes us uncomfortable, so we make the excuse, “My faith is private.”

When we pick and choose which parts of “love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself” we act upon, we are no different than the people in Jesus’ hometown who rejected Him.