FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD
FEBRUARY 1, 2023
Fourth WEDNESDAY of Ordinary Time
WORD of the DAY
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 Joseph 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. (Mark 6: 1-6)
“How shall I live this Word? 
It often happens that the contexts most familiar to us become the most hostile and today’s Gospel shows us this in the murmuring of Jesus’ fellow villagers who are even scandalized by Him. Unfortunately, Grace cannot act when it is held back by prejudice, which is rooted in the presumption, of already knowing and not having any expectations other than what one is convinced that one already understands. If you think in a biased way, you prevent God from doing new things in what are the ordinary things of our daily lives. If we have stopped having expectations of those around us (husbands, wives, children, friends, parents, colleagues) because we are stuck in our prejudice, we end up preventing God from making a change where we have already decided that it cannot happen. We desire the novelty around us but then we end up not allowing it precisely because of the prejudices we have towards those who live next to us. Therefore, today’s Gospel reveals one of the most serious obstacles to God’s grace, which does not consist first of all in evil, but in the attitude of arrogance that marks the way we look at what surrounds us. Only by eliminating our preconceptions and our beliefs about others, we will be able to see the wonders hidden in the heart and in the existence of those who live next to us. If we ourselves do not believe in this miraculous reality first, then it will be difficult to authentically see the unexpected take place.
Lord our God, grant us your faithful to adore You with all our souls and to love all people with the charity of Christ.
The Voice of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
Murmuring is a voluntary vice that depresses love, makes charity die.
E-mail: srmterzo@gmail.com Website: www.sanbiagio.org info@sanbiagio.org Blog: livingscripture.wordpress.com Comment by Fr. Maurizio Lollobrigida, SDB
