SAINT CASIMIR (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

No prophet is accepted in his own native place. 

Jesus was back in his hometown, with people he had known from boyhood. He probably had memories of childhood games, prayers in the synagogue, and Shabbat celebrations. Given this shared history, wouldn’t this have been a wonderful opportunity to perform miracles and teach them?

Yet even without them saying anything negative, Jesus perceived the people’s resistance to him and laid bare their thoughts. And as today’s Gospel makes clear, this enraged them (Luke 4:29).

It must have grieved Jesus to encounter such small-mindedness and cynicism in the people he knew so well. But he also knew that he stood in a long line of prophets who had been rejected in their native land. Like them, he was still called to proclaim God’s words. It’s clear that his message to the people of Nazareth was deeply unsettling and disturbing to them, as the truth can often be. But if they had heard it, truly heard it, with open hearts and minds, they would have realized who Jesus was and let his word pierce their hearts.

As we continue our Lenten journey, let’s consider how Jesus can read our thoughts as well. As the psalmist writes, “Lord, you have probed me, you know me. . . . You understand my thoughts from afar” (139:1, 2). Jesus knows us even better than we know ourselves. He can open our eyes to ways of thinking that are holding us back or preventing us from seeing what God is doing in our lives. He can uncover our blind spots so that we are able to see people and situations in the light of his love. He can also reveal his truths to us—even those that might be hard to hear—in order to deepen our understanding of who he is and what it means to live in his kingdom.

Today in prayer, be honest with the Lord and tell him what you are thinking, even if it’s something you would rather not admit, even to yourself. Then be open to letting him show you a different way of seeing things. The people of Nazareth missed out on the wondrous truth that Jesus was the Messiah. This Lent, don’t miss out on all that Jesus wants to do in you!

“Lord Jesus, open my mind and heart to your truths.”

2 Kings 5:1-15
Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4
Luke 4:24-30