Deluded man seeks happiness along the path of egoism, believing that happiness is gained by thinking of self. He fails to see that true joy of soul can only be found in admiration, in turning toward that which is superior.
Gospel of 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 “He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed Him. 2 And on the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard Him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to Him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at Him.
4 “And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.’ 5 And He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marvelled because of their unbelief. And He went about among the villages teaching” (Mk 6:1-6).
I – The Prophet, the Man Who Touches Consciences
In creating us, God had our participation in His eternal happiness in mind. To this end, He never abandons us, constantly watching over each one as if over an only child. A mother’s fervent care for her child—an easily grasped example—is a beautiful but pale figure of divine love.
Created for an eternity of happiness, we have engraved on our soul Natural Law—which disposes us to do good and avoid evil. We are in constant search for God, like plants seeking sunlight through heliotropism. To aid us in this “theotropism”, God encourages us, through individuals or circumstances, to seek Him with greater zeal and love. The prophets have fulfilled this role since the time of the Old Law.
The voice of the prophet, God helping us attain our goal
Today, the idea of a prophet is merely someone capable of foreseeing the future. However, it should be emphasized that, although this is often a distinctive characteristic, it is nevertheless not the principal one and does not constitute the essence of his mission. The chief prophetic duty is to guide the people of God, pointing out the way to salvation.
Historically, almost the entire Judaic priestly class having prevaricated from its mission, “It became necessary that there be an eruption onto the scene of Jewish society these colossi of spirituality called prophets—proceeding mainly from the secular element of the nation—to religiously heal Israel. […] With this, the spiritual values of the Law acquired their true eminence, and the moral stature of prophetic preaching was such that only the evangelical ideal surpassed it.”1
This surfaces in the first reading of this Sunday’s liturgy: God sends Ezekiel as a prophet to warn those stiff-necked and hard-hearted men that they are wandering from the true path: “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels, who have rebelled against me; they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The people also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them; and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that there has been a prophet among them” (Ez 2:3-5).
In other words, Israel rebelled against God. Yet instead of chastisement, a prophet is mercifully sent to this people—a spokesman transmitting the divine will, pointing out errors and calling to repentance. The Israelites cannot allege ignorance or inadvertence, for “there has been a prophet among them.”
The prophet elicits submission or revolt
Catholic doctrine teaches us that through Baptism we participate in the priesthood of Christ and in His prophetic and royal mission. 2 As baptized persons, we are prophets to society, since we must witness to the true Faith by the example of our lives, pointing out the way to eternal salvation and, if necessary, warning against errors. If this applies to all the lay faithful, then a fortiori, the priest who speaks from the pulpit, recalling eternal truths, exercises the prophetic mission.
But just as our failings often deafen us to the voice of conscience, which acts within us like a prophet reminding us of duty, and we create sophisms to stifle it, we can also become exasperated with those who exercise a prophetic role toward us and justly rebuke us. For, if not for a grace, the general human reaction to being rebuked is inner revolt.
This happens when a sermon or a spiritual reading pricks our conscience about a vice or defect yet, because of our attachment to evil we do not want to listen or comply with the voice of grace.
The prototype of this sad state of soul, which is more common than might be imagined, is found in the Gospel selected for this Sunday’s liturgy: Jesus Christ is the Prophet par excellence, come to proclaim the Good News and show the Way that is none other than He Himself, “set for the fall and rising of many in Israel” and “a sign that is spoken against” so that “thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed” (Lk 2:34-35).
II – Reaction of the Human Spirit Before Superiority
1 “He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed Him. 2a And on the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue…”
The Lord lived for almost thirty years in Nazareth, from the return from Egypt, after Herod’s death (cf. Mt 2:15,23), until beginning His public life with the Baptism in the Jordan (cf. Mt 3:13-17). In this city, He did not show himself as God, but rather as the son of Joseph and Mary—a common person.
At a certain moment He disappeared, and only the echoes of His brilliant miracles reach Nazareth. Galilee was in a veritable uproar because of the repercussions of Jesus’ recent feats, such as the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter and the cure of the woman with the haemorrhage as St. Mark relates (5:22-42), and many other extraordinary deeds. They must have also heard of the new and marvellous doctrines preached by the Divine Master, as well as the captivating parables that inspired men of good faith.
But we can imagine that, on one hand, scepticism was not an uncommon reaction to these reports, for human nature is loath to believe the extraordinary of those familiar to us. On the other hand, the inhabitants of Nazareth also felt proud, because their little town was gaining notoriety due to the Nazarene.
Jesus arrives in his homeland under these circumstances. We can picture the murmur rippling through the crowd as they see Him enter the synagogue—where He had never preached before—and begin to make unprecedented comments on Scripture.
Admiration, the first reaction to superiority
2b “… and many who heard Him were astonished…”
St. Luke adds important details regarding this episode. Invited to speak, Jesus opened the book of the prophet Isaiah where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” And then He affirms: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And the Evangelist concludes: “And all spoke well of Him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (cf. Lk 4:18, 21-22).
The immediate reaction to the splendour, substance and originality of the Saviour’s words—which certainly went beyond those recorded by the Evangelist—was generalized admiration. This is, in fact, the first impulse of every human creature in his social relationships, when faced with another who stands out in some way. Due to the instinct of sociability that impels us to interact with others, the next natural tendency is invariably toward comparison: “Could I do the same?” The affirmative or negative response will determine our consequent immediate inner reaction of joy or sadness.
If affirmative, we feel satisfied, judging ourselves capable of equalling or even surpassing the other. We may then assume two attitudes. The first, which is wholesome, lies in understanding that this is a freely bestowed gift of God, since the Holy Spirit “apportions to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor 12:11), and we have the duty of using it to help others to sanctify themselves, as the Apostle teaches: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7). The other attitude, which is wrong and prideful, despises the other’s quality.
In the negative instance, we feel sadness in discovering our inferiority. Here, two attitudes are also possible. One, which is good, consists in rising above this instinctive sadness and admiring the quality of the other, rejoicing in his superiority. The second, which is evil, is a certain resentment, due to envy toward another’s gift.
Both good attitudes bring peace of soul, for they favour recognition of the Creator’s grandeur through human reflections. Those attuned to using daily occurrences as a springboard to higher considerations act in this way. These are the people who, after the first impulse of admiration, seek to praise, esteem and serve whatever is good, true and beautiful.
However, due to fallen human nature, the subsequent reaction to comparison is usually wrong, without the aid of grace. A typical example of this is found in the following verses, in which the Evangelist summarizes the Nazarenes’ reaction to Jesus preaching.
The consequence of egoism
2b “…saying, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to Him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at Him.”
In the city of Nazareth probably no one—Our Lady excepted—took the correct attitude of admiring Jesus’ superiority. From the first wholesome reaction, the people stooped to merely human considerations; this sparked doubts of faith, then envy.
Some asked themselves where such knowledge came from, since the Preacher had not studied with any of the renowned local masters. Some of these masters may even have been there in the synagogue, finding it intolerable that Jesus should surpass them in knowledge, they who had studied so extensively!
Perhaps they even queried among themselves over what ruses the young Master had used to acquire such knowledge so quickly.
In wanting to judge by first appearances, they mixed envy against a backdrop of feeble faith. They did not seek to transcend the image of the son of the carpenter, who had lived there and worked as an ordinary artisan for so many years, and who, suddenly, arose as a Wise Man, Wonderworker and Exorcist.
They could not deny the truth of the resounding miracles attributed to the Redeemer, but in their spiritual blindness, they chose to close their eyes to the superior reality, taking refuge in a natural explanation which would require no change of life.
Thus, “they took offence at Him.” Disdain is the necessary consequence of want of love and of envy. St. Basil harshly censures this defect: “Envy is the most implacable form of hatred. To show kindness to the envious only provokes him the more. And the more he receives, the more aggrieved and embittered he becomes. He is more enraged by the worth of his benefactor, than thankful for his gifts. Dogs will become gentle when you feed them, lions when their wounds are treated, but the envious become more savage should you once do them a favor.” 3
The danger of not seeing the sublime
4 “And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.’”
Previously, St. Mark recounts that some of Jesus’ relatives were so ashamed of Him that on one occasion they sought “to seize Him, for people were saying, ‘He is beside Himself’” (Mk 3:21).
Considering that the city was very small, undoubtedly, several of his relatives were in the assembly. Perhaps they, too, compared themselves with Jesus, imagining themselves His equals due to kinship. But in realizing their obvious inferiority they gave vent to envy and the desire to destroy the good observed in the other, judging that it would overshadow them. The tendency of human nature is not generally to envy a stranger, but rather a friend, someone with whom we are familiar.
Therefore, like Our Lord, one who embraces virtue may be well thought of in some circles, but not always with closer associates.
The divinity of Our Lord must have shone through
Assueta vilescunt—Routine can degrade even what is magnificent. Jesus, true God and Man, found Himself in the place where He had lived a common life, in His home town, desirous of benefitting those closest to Him.
We must not imagine, however, that those who kept His company had not witnessed countless glimpses of the extraordinary. In virtue of the intimate union between the human and divine nature in Christ, veiled beneath His most perfect Humanity, flashes of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity must have frequently shone through, totally surpassing all human capacity for perfection, and making it evident that Jesus was a Being entirely out of the ordinary. “While nature slowly evolved to its fullness in His most pure Body, ‘divine wisdom filled His holy soul and grace exhausted all its gifts.’ […] He tempered the external manifestations of His hidden perfections like a new tree that slowly unfolds its buds, leaves and flowers before its fruit forms; like the sun that, after glimmering on the horizon, tints it with the glowing flames of dawn before inundating the sky with its victorious rays and showing its resplendent face,” 4 Monsabré comments.
Our Lord’s gestures, comportment and even His way of walking would all have been perfect—to say nothing of His incomparable voice. The beauty of His soul was marvellously reflected on His face and, especially in His gaze. Gifted with all possible human qualities, He was beautiful, noble and distinguished to the highest degree. Everything in Him reflected a mysterious and ineffable superiority.
Failure to see caused by egoism and mediocrity
However, when He was proclaiming salvation to His relatives and acquaintances, they did not believe Him. This shows the malignancy of the human tendency to judge by appearance, and not to accept that which is superior.
This spiritual blindness is the fruit of mediocrity. A mediocre person never acknowledges qualities that do not reflect back to him; he is the arch-egoist. And every egoist is mediocre, because these are reciprocal and inseparable defects. Mediocrity makes a person wilfully ignore whatever may be superior to him, immediately denigrating it. With a view to humiliating Him, the Nazarenes called Jesus “the carpenter”. This was not a reference to St. Joseph, because according to some commentators, he was no longer living.
Admiration justifies
The history of the early Church would have been very different had the Nazarenes admired and followed Our Lord.
The role of admiration and love is emphasized by St. Thomas in affirming that even if not baptized, those who guide their lives according to their true end, loving a true good more than themselves, obtain the remission of original sin through gace. 5 Garrigou-Lagrange shows that they are thereby “justified by the baptism of desire, because this love, which is already the efficacious love of God, is not possible to man in his present state without regenerative grace.” 6 We could invert the Angelic Doctor’s affirmation and say that when a person loves himself more than a good, he becomes mediocre and egoistic, becoming blind to God and opening himself to all forms of evil. For just as those who love a superior good more than themselves unite themselves to God, those who love themselves above all things and more than God, ally themselves with the devil.
Therefore, in this vein, the boundary separating heaven from hell is delineated by one word: admiration. Admiration for what is superior draws me toward heaven; self-admiration draws me toward hell.
The consequences of blindness to God
5a “And He could do no mighty work there…”
The Evangelist is careful to point out in this verse that Jesus did not refuse to do miracles, but rather that “He could do no mighty work.” In other words, He was impeded by circumstances. Even His shadow and garment had worked many cures, yet He operated no miracles in Nazareth—or very few, according to St. Mathew’s narration (Mt 13:58).
Why? Two conditions are necessary for the performance of a miracle. The first being the faith of the beneficiaries and the second, the intercession of the one by whom God exercises His power. The Divine Master needed no intercessor, since the power came from Him; but He did require the faith of the others. 7 The envy of the Nazarenes prevented Jesus from being accepted, and all He did was examined from a human standpoint.
Furthermore, if He were to perform a magnificent miracle, the Nazarenes would likely have revolted, aggravating their sin, and further offending the Father. Therefore, a manifestation of Jesus’ power could irremediably condemn them. And He did not want them to be lost, but rather to save them.
We can take an important lesson from this for our apostolate: we should make every effort to prevent others from sinning and therefore offending the Father, because, before all else, our objective is God’s glory. Therefore, on some occasions we can manifest the gifts that Providence has given us to do good to our neighbour; on others, it will be necessary, rather, to conceal them if they could be the cause of condemnation for some.
5b “… except that He laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marvelled because of their unbelief. And He went about among the villages teaching.”
These cures did not have the remarkable character of a miracle that subverts the laws of nature. Indeed, the practice of the laying on of hands to cure some illnesses or expell demons was common among Hebrew priests. Thus, in this instance Our Lord merely fulfilled the role of a simple priest.
While He taught and performed all manner of miracles in neighbouring towns, He was expelled from His own land by His people! (cf. Lk 4:29).
III – Admiration, Antidote Against Mediocrity
If we are negligent in combating the tendency to egoism and mediocrity, shown, on this occasion, by the Nazarenes, we will find difficultly in acknowledging and admiring the qualities of others. Therefore, we should practice the virtue of self-detachment, and an efficient way to do this is to recognize the superior aspects in our neighbour, and desire to admire and encourage him. We should make admiration a permanent habit. And, if we note true superiority in ourselves, we should put it at the service of others and never let it be a source of vanity. The invitation to practice the virtue of humility is perennial.
The Church fittingly says through the Collect of the day: “O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world…”
As God acted toward the world so should we act toward whoever is inferior to us in some way. Christ felt compassion for humanity and, with His soul always in the Beatific Vision, He took on a suffering body for love of men.
God’s plan with the instinct of sociability
This is God’s great plan for human society: in creating men with a deep-rooted instinct of sociability, He deigned to provide them with the means of helping one another, in reciprocal admiration for gifts received, so that, rising above comparison and envy, all could attain to the desire of serving and praising that which is superior to him.
An important consequence—pardon, which is the fruit of charity—flows from these truths. Unlimited pardon should spring from the depths of our heart when we receive an offence. In this way we contribute to building a society in which there is mutual pardon and the desire to continually elevate one another.
Desiring that our neighbour grow in virtue and offering our admiration and praise for his qualities is one of wisest ways of practicing love of God toward him.
A society based on this Gospel principle would eliminate many of the horrors prevalent today, and by uniting people around their love of God, it would become the happiest that can be attained in this valley of tears.
When this society becomes reality, it could rightly be called the Reign of Mary, because it will be pervaded with the goodness of the Wise and Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God. It will be a reign in which the Blessed Virgin will transmit8 to all a participation in the supreme maternal instinct that she has for each one of us. And then we will understand entirely what she said at Fatima: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph!” ◊
