To us he is the censure of our thoughts;/ merely to see him is a hardship for us,/ Because his life is not like that of others/ and different are his ways.
(Wisdom 2:14-15)
What is my reaction, Lord, when I encounter a holy person? Do I admire and try to emulate him or her? Or is there a part of me that feels threatened and rebuked?
I often hear people say, “But I do it this way.” I respond that we are all different, saying, “Well, this is what works for me. It might not work for someone else.” Do I take my own advice? Sometimes I catch myself thinking, “Why doesn’t he/she do this or that?” Please give me the grace to respect those who are different and to praise their virtues.
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
(John 7:25-27)
My Jesus, when the people saw you speaking freely in the temple, they began to wonder if you might be the Christ, but immediately they buried that idea because they thought they knew where you were from. They closed their minds.
In today’s first reading, the prophets are persecuted because they are different. In the Gospel, you are dismissed because you are familiar. We are never satisfied.
You will answer the people of Jerusalem that you are sent by God. They know you as the carpenter’s son, but not as God’s. When you explain, they will try to arrest you. You cannot please them, but it is not they who will decide when your time has come.
Please, Lord, open my heart so that I can hear and accept your Word. You who transcend me and yet draw me into yourself, show me how to rejoice in both your Divinity and your nearness. Today, when I change from one activity to another, I will offer praise to you. Please remind me when I forget.