The True Family Of The Lord

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, July 4, 2021

Today, Jesus is in his native place, Nazareth, with his disciples. But before he made this trip, he has expelled unclean spirits from the possessed, healed a woman with hemorrhages for twelve years, and raised the daughter of a synagogue official, Jairus, from death. As a result of those and many others, he is riding high in popularity. Crowds of people are following him. On the sabbath day, he enters the synagogue and begins to teach. Many of his native people who heard him are astounded by the wisdom of his words and by the mighty deeds of his hands. So, they ask, “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?” Put differently, how can this local man be gifted with so many fine qualities? They know his mother; they know his relations. They know his background. In their own calculations, there is nothing special in his origin. So, they took offense at him. They allowed their preconceived notions to get in the way. The Gospel of John aptly says, “He came to his own, and his own people did not accept him” (John 1:11) and the story concludes with “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.”

The saddest words in this Gospel is, “…he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them” (Mark 6:5). They lack the faith needed to receive from God. The atmosphere was not right. Miraculous acts of God can hardly happen in an atmosphere of religious coldness, indifference and hostility. The most power packed and spirit-filled message of salvation can fall lifeless in an environment of indifference and scorn towards God and what pertains to God. Jesus never said to those he healed, “Your faithlessness has saved you” or “Your religious indifference has saved you.” It is always, “Your faith has saved you.” Great things happen to people of great faith. Great things happen to hearts and lives that are open to receive the Lord. The Book of Hebrew 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

What did Jesus do after he was rejected by his own people? He forms a new family! John tells us that “He came to his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God” (Jn. 1:11-13). This family began with the people we have heard several times about, the disciples. This family included the women of Jerusalem, the family of Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus. This family included those who suffered injustice, those who were excommunicated from every aspect of the Israelite life for no fault of theirs— the lepers, tax collectors, the woman with hemorrhages, sinners, and all those who were sincerely looking for the redemption of Israel. By baptism, we have become part of this family too. This family is not based on blood or race or origin but by faith, faith in Jesus Christ. This is the reason why we regard each other as sisters and brothers. 

So, what is faith? The Protestant theologian, Paul Tillich said that faith is the most misunderstood word in the religious vocabulary. Is faith gullibility? No! Is faith naïveté? No! Is faith accepting something on the basis of no evidence? No! Is faith pre-scientific nonsense? No! Is faith unreasonable? No! Is faith foolishness? No! Is it the way children would think? Again, heck no! Faith is accepting and trusting what God has revealed to us in his own freedom. Faith is not opposed to reason, although it goes beyond it. Just as trust in another person is not irrational, but it does go beyond reason, so it is with God. We have to finally have faith because we are dealing with a supreme person. Faith is an attitude of trust in the face of God. Faith is trust in God who has spoken. Faith means God has spoken. I believe what he has said. I accept it. I trust it. It is true.

Do you want to be a member of the family of Jesus our Lord? Then believe in him. Trust him!