Saint André Bessette, Religious (Optional Memorial)

[Jesus] left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum. 

Finally, Jesus’ hidden life has come to an end.   Through his baptism and his time of fasting in the desert, his mission has come into clearer focus.   So now what?

We might expect Jesus to journey south to the capital city of Jerusalem.   The educated, the pious, the highborn, the political leaders—most of them were in Jerusalem.   Surely they would be the most likely to welcome his message.   But Jesus headed north instead, into Zebulun and Naphtali, “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Matthew 4:15).

As usual, Jesus does the opposite of what we might expect. Zebulun and Naphtali were the first of the Israeli territories to succumb to invasion by Assyria eight centuries before the birth of Jesus.   By Jesus’ time, the Jews there had blended in with the various pagan peoples in their midst.   In this hodgepodge of humanity, there were few religious experts.   Just fishermen and craftsmen keeping the faith as best they could in the midst of challenge and hardship.   It was these folks who had the privilege of first hearing Jesus’ proclamation that the kingdom of heaven was at hand.   It was the ones who had suffered the most, those who most needed to hear good news—and who least expected it.

Isn’t that the way God often reaches out to us?   Yes, he faithfully meets us in “Jerusalem,” in our religious moments and practices.   But he also delights in entering into our “Galilee of the Gentiles,” the places where we have been defeated or disappointed, the places of our loss and resentment, all the wounded places that can so easily become breeding grounds for sin and division.

This means we shouldn’t just expect to see Jesus while we are at church or doing a service project.   He comes to us as we weep over the loss of a friend.   He comes to us when we are fuming over a perceived insult or gloating over a hard-fought victory against a competitor.   He shares everyday life with us—the traffic frustrations, the joys of family, all the misunderstandings and successes.   Yes, Jesus’ kingdom is at hand.   It’s right here, right where we are.

“Jesus, help me see your kingdom at hand, not just in sacred moments, but throughout my day.”

1 John 3:22–4:6
Psalm 2:7-8, 10-12

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