First reading Ezekiel 2:2-5
These rebels shall know that there is a prophet among them
The spirit came into me and made me stand up, and I heard the Lord speaking to me. He said, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebels who have turned against me. Till now they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me. The sons are defiant and obstinate; I am sending you to them, to say, “The Lord says this.” Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them.’
Responsorial Psalm 123:1-2, 2, 3-4
Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven —
As the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the Lord, our God,
till he have pity on us.
Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
Have pity on us, O Lord, have pity on us,
for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
with the mockery of the arrogant,
with the contempt of the proud.
Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
Second reading 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
The Lord’s power is at its best in weakness
In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness.’ So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.
Gospel Mark 6:1-6
‘A prophet is only despised in his own country’
Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
______________________________________________
My grace is all you need
“…to stop me from getting too proud, I was given a thorn of flesh… I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you…” (2nd reading). St. Paul was suffering from a particular trouble and wanted it to go away so that his life would be problem-free. However, Jesus told him that His grace, i.e. His presence, would be enough for him to carry on walking in this difficult moment of his life. When we encounter trials, Jesus says the same to us: “My grace is enough. My presence will carry you through this time of adversity.”. Let us trust Jesus and depend on Him.
In today’s gospel, Jesus was regarded as too ordinary, and the people in his home town were sceptical of Him. Yet, God worked in and through the ordinariness of everyday life. We need to see the grace of God is close to us. God’s loving presence continues to be active in the familiarity of friendships, routines, care, sadness and pain.
Reflective question:
Do I struggle to recognise God’s presence with me, especially in hard times?
Do I struggle to recognise God’s presence with me, especially in hard times?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
