Today we read in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus comes home and does some teaching in the synagogue. He gets a less than warm welcome. The locals take offense at how learned and wise he has become and are stunned by the mighty deeds that he has done during his ever-growing ministry. A round of applause, or a big party for Him would have seemed appropriate, but that was not the case at all. Before leaving, Jesus reminds the elders that a prophet is not honored in his own home or native place. This was a subtle slap down on how closed-minded or jealous his former community had become. The reading does not continue to the part where Jesus is walked to the edge of town, and they threaten to throw him off a cliff. Overall, not a warm welcome.
Today at Home
As we fast forward two thousand years to today, most of us are NOT prophets. We do try to evangelize in our own way, though. We are religion teachers, seminar attenders, church goers, lead normal lives, read and write reflections for GVM, and more. And, we try to be good examples out in the world, and perhaps show people that we are Christian/Catholic, by how we live.
As in Jesus’ time, the hardest place to be the modern-day evangelist is with our families, especially those who no longer practice the faith. Non or less-believing family members do not really want to hear our story or get re-invigorated. They often cannot explain why they fell away from a former faith life, or why they have failed to find one. The same is often true for friends and people in our social circle.
There seems to be two different worlds (believers and non-believers), but with an overlap of the bonds of family or friendship. It’s our job, as Catholics, to try to spread our faith and bring people to the Lord. That job was assigned to us at Baptism and will continue until Last Rites.
Next Steps
In the effort to go along with the crowd, the temptation, especially these days, is to “keep our mouths shut.” Instead of being walked to the edge of town to be thrown off a cliff, we are cancelled or shunned or berated online if we speak the Truth that some do not want to hear. We have plenty of clues about what God’s ways are and know how we should follow His path. The ways of the world are very different, and many have taken the off ramp from His path many miles ago. Using God’s GPS and the World’s GPS can get us to very different destinations. Let us not forget that if we decide to disown God now, He will disown us at Judgment Day. Judgement Day is when it matters, because that is the beginning of eternity, and eternity is a very very long time.
As we spend time with friends and family this Summer, let us not forget that part of our role in life is to spread the Good News, to all nations, around the world, and around the block. We do not need formal training, just a desire to have the Holy Spirit guide us as we do this important work.
Point to Ponder
As a point to ponder today, what do you think about asking a fallen away Catholic in your life to explain why they are not going to Church, or not going regularly? “How often are you going to Church?” is a good start question, and it is not a yes or no answer, so it should allow them to explain themselves. Maybe they just needed that gentle nudge, and maybe you can meet them at Mass next week. If there is a specific reason or excuse, help them work around it.
Remain Blessed.
