Jesus noted that a prophet lacks honor in his own town.

Jesus from doing many miracles in his hometown of Nazareth.

The people knew his family, so they refused to believe his message.

The locals viewed Jesus as a normal carpenter.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Jeremiah 26:1-9

At the beginning of

The reign of Judah's king Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah:

Yahweh says this, "Stand in the courtyard of Yahweh's house and say to all who come from the towns

of Judah to worship in Yahweh's house – all that I command you to say; do not omit anything!

Perhaps they will listen to you. Perhaps each one will turn from his wicked ways.

Then I will change my mind and forget the destruction that I have planned

to inflict on them because of their wicked deeds.

 

Tell them: This is what Yahweh says: "You have not obeyed me and you have failed to walk according to my law

which I have set before you. You have not heeded my servants, the prophets, whom I have persistently sent to you.

If you stubbornly close your ears to them, I will treat this house of mine

as I treated the Sanctuary of Shiloh and let all the nations see that Jerusalem is a cursed city."

 

The priests, the prophets and all the people heard what Jeremiah said in Yahweh's house.

When Jeremiah finished saying all that Yahweh had commanded, he was besieged by the priests and prophets saying,

"You are bound to die! How dare you speak in Yahweh's Name telling us that this house will be treated like Shiloh

and this city is to become a deserted ruin." And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh.

 

Ps 69:5, 8-10, 14

Lord, in your great love, answer me.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 13:54-58

He went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue.

They were amazed and said, "Where did he get this wisdom and these special powers?

Isn't he the carpenter's son? Isn't Mary his mother and aren't James, Joseph,

Simon and Judas his brothers? Aren't all his sisters living here? Where did he get all these things?"

And so they took offense at him. Jesus said to them,

"The only place where a prophet is not welcome is his hometown and in his own family."

And he did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

To be people of faith.

There is a saying: "Never judge a book by its cover." I learned this lesson the hard way.

When I shop for books online, attractive covers-brilliant illustrations and vibrant colors-catch my eye.

However, after buying some books, I found they were not worth the money. They were poorly written,

with disappointing stories. This experience taught me that a book's real value is its story, not its cover.

When Jesus started his ministry in his hometown, he faced similar judgments.

 

The people there saw him as just a relative, not as the Messiah. Their lack of faith stopped

Jesus from doing many miracles among them, as he couldn't perform wonders where there was no faith.

This story reminds us that even our close ones might not see the truth and can reject God's message.

We should be aware of our own biases and stay open to the idea that God can speak to us in unexpected ways.

It is important to be people of faith and to believe in the extraordinary, even when it seems ordinary.