14th SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (B) 8th July 2018

The reflections for Sundays and Solemnities is an activity of Society of St Paul, India

A Reflection by:
FR DEVASIA PUTHIAPARAMBIL, SSP,
SOCIETY OF ST PAUL, LISBON, PORTUGAL.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,
The first reading, taken from the prophet Ezekiel, presents the vocation and the mission of the prophet. The Lord called Ezekiel to be a prophet. Similarly, his mission does not come from any religious institution, nor from civil authority, but directly from God. For this reason, sometimes it is difficult to understand the mode of operation of the prophets. Before sending him for the mission, the Lord warns him of the refusal that he would experience as he is sent to a stubborn and obstinate people. As prophet of the Lord, Ezekiel had no choice but obey the one who sent him.
The Gospel of today portrays the rejection that Jesus, the greatest prophet, experienced in his own home town. The people of his homeland did not accept him because they were victims of prejudices and narrow-mindedness. They believed that nothing good can come from Nazareth. They considered only the “human” aspects of Jesus—his family, his profession and his locality. He was rejected because he spoke the truth, and often, it is very difficult to accept the truth. At other times, he was rejected because the values that he proposed were not the values propagated by the world. He was rejected because he taught a new way of life different from what is traditionally promoted by the Scribes and Pharisees. The creator came into the world, yet the world did not recognize him. He came among his own, but his own did not accept him. This rejection of Jesus continues even today.
The readings of today teaches us the right dispositions of a prophet.
The first characteristic of the prophet is the commitment to the mission. Prophet Ezekiel had to carry out a mission that was not pleasant, and he obeyed the Lord. Paul, despite the innumerable hardships, had to preach the Gospel and he did it with great zeal. Jesus, the greatest prophet, never deviated from the goal, even though he had to sacrifice his life. Despite the unbelief of the people, Jesus continued to pursue the good works that he began.
In the second reading, taken from the 2nd letter to the Corinthians, St Paul presents himself as a model. The prophet must be humble. He must be freed from pride and arrogance. The proud people do not recognize their need for God and for others. To keep Paul humble, the Lord had given him “a thorn in the flesh”. Paul wanted to be freed of this thorn, but he was not given that grace.
The third characteristic of a prophet and of every Christian is that of entrusting oneself to the divine power. When Paul prayed to be freed from the thorn, the Lord told him: “My grace is enough for you”. The Lord affirms that divine force, in fact, manifests itself fully in human weakness. When Paul recognized the truth of the Lord’s revelation he said: “when I am weak, it is then that I am strong”. Let us examine this truth by considering the life of Jesus. The incarnation of Jesus is apparently an act of weakness because Jesus, the Son of God, did not consider his equality with God, but decided to be a human being like us. However, through this weakness of incarnation, Jesus saved humanity. Death on the cross apparently is the supreme weakness of God. But this humiliating death has become the means for the salvation of humanity.
Looking at the history of salvation, we can find more episodes in which weakness has become strength. God contradicts the world by choosing weak people according to the criteria of the world. Paul, although weak, God made him an instrument to accomplish great things. Like Paul who has transformed his weakness into strength, we too transform our weakness into strength, entrusting ourselves to the divine providence, remembering that the divine force is closely linked to human weakness, rather it is realized more fully only in it. May God bless you to transform your weakness into strength.