"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house."

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church | USCCB

In our gospel for today we hear of how the people that knew Jesus growing up had a problem with who he was and the wisdom he was exhibiting as the Messiah. They even had problems accepting the miracles that were attributed to him. They were saying, "Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?” (Matthews 13:14) It reminds me of that old saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” They had trouble wrapping their minds around the fact that someone they knew from childhood could be so special. They just considered him as someone ordinary.

These people of His hometown thought they knew who he was. They were thinking that Jesus was just a “nobody” from Nazareth. They thought he was just the carpenter’s son. They thought they knew him and as a result looked down on him. They were thinking that he wasn’t special. But as it turns out they didn’t really know him. And because they did not have faith in him, Jesus could not perform any miracles there.

This shows that faith is essential in our relationship with Jesus. All throughout his ministry while on earth, he would often tell someone that their faith in him was the cause of their healing. For example, the woman with the issue of the blood disease in Mark 5:34 and Luke 8:48, we hear Jesus tell the woman that her faith has healed her and to go in peace.

As with individuals described in scripture who experienced healing through Jesus, we need to approach Him in prayer concerning the various challenges present in our lives.  We need to ask ourselves, “Do I really believe that Jesus can perform this miracle for me?” In Mark 5:28 we hear the woman in need of being cured say to herself: “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” We need that same faith in Jesus in the issues that we bring before him, whether it’s health issues, problems with family or financial problems. We need to reach out to Jesus in prayer and believe that he will help us in the way we need.

As we pray and bring our problems to the Lord at Mass, let’s bring all our needs to him as we approach him in Holy Communion and believe that he will bring us the healing and peace we long for in our lives.