Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“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 Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" 
And they took offense at him.

The people of Nazareth speak these words when Jesus returns to his native place. Here they recognize his wisdom and mighty deeds, and yet they take offense at him. Why would they do this? Sometimes when we think we know someone and they do something unexpected, something that challenges our preconceptions about them, we can rebel against it. We are much more comfortable in a world where we can put people in a box and label them. This is what the people of Nazareth do to Jesus. They label him to be a carpenter, the son of Mary. Anything that challenges this opinion upsets the status quo. As Christians, we must not be afraid to change our opinions of people if they prove us wrong. We should not claim to know the hearts of others as the people of Nazareth do. Instead we should be open to having our opinions changed in light of the actions, good or bad, that others take.

Who are the people in our lives whom we might be misjudging? How can we be more open to them and less judgmental? What can we do to rebuild the faith of others, especially those whom we have let down?

O Lord, help us to be open to your wisdom and mighty deeds.

Amen.