A Loving and Brave Heart

01-30-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

The Gospel today aims to show how Luke can put together several events to bring home the message he wants to focus on. The scene symbolizes how many of the Jews rejected Jesus, while the ostracized Gentiles readily accepted Him. The woman of Zarephath and the Syrian Naaman represent the Gentiles in general. Many in Israel denied Him, a sign of what is to come - they will try to drive Him out of their cities and eventually be successful in crucifying and putting Him to death.

There is a change of attitude toward Jesus, from acceptance at the start to rejection. The reason behind this is the bias caused by familiarity. They know Him as one of their own, a carpenter by trade, and the son of Joseph and Mary. He did not have any special education from a known teacher - or a disciple of a Pharisee. He does not belong to any class like the scribes and the Pharisees or the priestly caste. Their reaction is not surprising - Jesus reminds them that pagan people receive the prophets, Elijah and Elisha. Jesus teaches them that God shows no partiality, something they could not accept, being the chosen people. His kin and townmates are unwilling to accept rebuke from Jesus, so they started to entertain the possibility of killing their (own) son. The central theme of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the message of love. St. Paul reminds us how the hymns of love are the best gift of God that manifests itself in many ways. Love is the greatest gift from God, the gift that is above all other charisms and all other abilities because it is divine love.

Hearing directly from Jesus, His words amaze them and, at the same time, the object of argument and contempt among His kin. Some believe He is from God, but the majority think He is from the devil. Others are undecided on what to think or what to make of Him. All these are of no importance to Jesus; He is focused on His identity and mission regardless if He is accepted or rejected by His people.

Since His message is clear and He speaks only about the truths His Father wants Him to relay to the people, Jesus remains composed, firm, and sure of His public declarations. His only agenda is to proclaim the Kingdom of God. A prophet who is not after personal profit. For this reason, He is not afraid to rock the boat, to face rejection, persecution, and even death by crucifixion. Like our Lord, let us not bend or break our creed and code; to attain our selfish motives. True discipleship is not playing safe, content with the status quo, or doing “maintenance” jobs. Discipleship is going out of our comfort zones, taking the risk, or "Duc in Altum" venture into the deep. We can go where the river flows or sway where the wind blows, or go upstream and face the strong wind to where God wants us to be.

It takes as much courage to have tried and failed as it does to have tried and succeeded. There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying. The greatest tragedy for us is to face our creator filled with shame because we did not do our best – to try to go out of our way to follow Him. I pray that we may all have a loving heart and a brave heart to follow Him.

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