They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff, but he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” In the matter of a few minutes, they went from praising Jesus with amazement, to doubts, to taking offense at him, to trying to murder him. Jesus knew their thoughts and said, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown, among his own kin and in his own house.” That, St. Mark tells us, they began to “take offense at Jesus.” Not only would they not believe what Jesus said, but they began to be offended by him, because if he were the Messiah, it would necessarily change their relationship with him and, in fact, revolutionize their whole life. So, to knock him down to size, they began to murmur to themselves, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” Their doubts soon multiplied and, as St. Perhaps he had played with them, or their kids or grandkids when he was younger. They thought they knew Jesus.They likely had pieces of furniture he made. Those in the Synagogue likely shared that sentiment, because they refused to accept that one from among their own could be the fulfillment of their messianic hopes. The future apostle Nathaniel (also known as Bartholomew) once wondered aloud whether anything good could come from Nazareth. Through fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy, Jesus was basically announcing that he was the Messiah, that all the words that the prophet wrote about the coming Anointed One were taking place right then, right there. They were amazed at the “gracious words that came from his mouth” and “the wisdom that had been given to him.” But that quickly changed once they began to reflect on what he said. Luke both tell us that his listeners’ first reaction to Jesus’ teaching was astonishment. Jesus’ homily, his commentary on that passage, was one sentence long: “Today,” he declared, “this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” This was a passage referring to the Messiah for whom the Jews had long waited. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Is 61:1-2). Jesus unrolled the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and read the passage, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. Luke’s Gospel tells us what he did (see Lk 4:16-30). The head of the Synagogue allowed him to come up to teach. He visited his neighborhood synagogue - the equivalent of his parish Church - on the Sabbath, just like he did every Saturday as a boy and young carpenter. He had cast out demons, cured the paralyzed and the sick, and taught with authority unlike any had ever heard. He already had a famous reputation for the teachings and the miracles he had worked throughout Galilee. This Sunday’s Gospel isa scene that should bring those who truly love Jesus almost to the point of tears.To listen to an audio recording of today’s homily, please click below: Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs, Auriesville, New Yorkįourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BĮz 2:2-5, Ps 123, 2 Cor 12:7-10, Mk 6:1-6 Retreats for Priests, Deacons, and Seminarians.