14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, B
REJECT NOT, RECEIVE GRACE
It is so easy for us to reject something or someone. Sometimes it is because of first impressions, at times due to long familiarity. But it is always easy to reject. In the first reading, the people of Israel keep on rejecting God and the prophets sent by him, like Ezekiel.
In the gospel, Jesus’ own townmates reject him because they knew too well his humble beginnings and they cannot believe what they see in him now (Mk 6:1-6). In both instances, what the people reject is unknowingly what they really need, what will give them the greatest grace of their lives.
We reject people around us because we are too wounded to even know them in a real way. We see their imperfections and we see their mistakes. We are all too ready to notice how wrong they are. That’s what happens with that companion in the office, with that dorm mate, with that next door neighbor. Sometimes we refuse to accept people within our homes and the advice or concern they express for us.
But who are we to reject other people? Yes, they may have their frailites and weakness. But so do we. St. Paul teaches us in the first reading a way out of our tendency to reject others. St. Paul points to a “thorn in the flesh” that he feels in his own body (2 Cor 12: 7-10). Because of this he can readily understand that others too have their own “thorns.”
Just like the other person, we are not perfect. There are many thorns in our lives that make us also repulsive to people, and maybe even to God. And yet, God accepts us and embraces us just as we are. The God of Israel continues to love his stubborn people. Jesus certainly did not turn his back on his townmates even if they did hurt him.
Are there people we reject? Are there things we refuse to fully accept? Let us embrace the attitude of God and benefit from the grace of acceptance. Let the blessings flow from people and events that God has allowed to be part of our lives, if only we will accept them.
