Gospel Reading for July 07, 2024 – Mark 6: 1-6
FOCUSED
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
————
Who has not experienced rejection in life? Most probably, all of us, although for some the hurt is too much, and for others not that much. When a mother tries or wants to abort a child in the womb, that child will have issues on rejection as he/she grows up, and if not resolved and is even worsened by many other experiences of rejection, it will almost surely lead to anxiety and depression, and not long after, suicide. If a child grows up in a family where favoritism is practiced by parents, the child who receives less favor and attention will also have issues on rejection. Parents have to be very aware of the power they hold in their hands to make or break their children, hence, have to bring them up responsibly.
Acceptance, which is the opposite of rejection, is very important for us to go through life not being defensive and overly conscious about how people will see us. Because of our fear of rejection, we sometimes devote too much time to our physical appearance; make too much effort to be liked; conform to what others want even if we think it is wrong; become achievement-oriented; aim to accumulate resources so people may want to be close to us and we become popular; and so on and so forth. Put simply, it is our non-acceptance of who we are, the family that we have, that brings about or worsens our issues of rejection.
Jesus fully accepted who he was, the son of a carpenter who did not go to proper schooling. Even when he started his ministry, he did not have his own home (Matthew 8: 20). But, he was aware that God the Father sent him to be the saviour of the world, so whether or not he was accepted or rejected was not important to him. The rejection of his townspeople did not stop him from continuing his ministry. He just FOCUSED on his mission that’s why he was very successful.
Lord God, we are sure that you accept us, no matter what. This is big enough reason to live our life to the fullest with all the capabilities you have given us, and be able to contribute to beauty and goodness to our little corner of the world!
Let us ponder on this song written by Fr. Ed Hontiveros, S.J., lyrics by Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, PINTIG NG PUSO –
Musmos ka pa lamang, minahal na kita.
Mula sa kawalan, tinuring kang anak.
Sa bawat tawag ko, ika’y lumalayo,
hindi mo batid, ako’y nabibigo?
Aking isasaysay, kung mararapatin
sa una mong hakbang, nang kita’y akayin.
Binalabalan ka, matang masintahin.
Kinakandong kita, animo’y alipin.
Pinagtabuyan mo ako, pinagtulakan nang husto,
Maglaho ka sa harap ko!
Ngunit yaring pintig ng puso ko …
Matupok man lahat sa buong daigdig
hindi magmamaliw ang aking pag-ibig.
Panginoon ako, at hindi alabok
Paano ko kaya, ikaw malilimot?
Paano ko kaya, ikaw malilimot?
