Pastor's Letter -- January 30, 2022

The call of Jeremiah and the ministry of Jesus in the Gospel offer us some glimpse into some of the challenges of a prophet. Jeremiah could be seen as a foreshadowing of the ‘Suffering servant’ of Isaiah, and a type for the Messiah. Although not a royal figure as the Davidic Messiah spoken about in Isaiah, we see in Jeremiah’s life a lot of similarities with the life of Jesus. Both Jeremiah and Jesus were called and anointed by God before they were born, to be a prophet to the nations. Both suffered rejection at the hands of those to whom they were sent, both felt abandoned, were tortured, and eventually suffered a shameful death. But in all their troubles, the Lord was with them and never allowed their enemies to overpower them. The First reading and the Gospel for this weekend show us that though evil might come to the one chosen by God, the Lord will deliver them from it all. God never abandons us to the tyranny of the evil one. Every setback has its expiration, when God would triumph and reign supreme. The people in today’s Gospel could not kill Jesus. God delivers him from their hands because his time had not come. So, hang in there!

But how did their admiration for Jesus change so quickly? How did he attract their ire by his reference to scripture? The concept of ‘family honor’ is very strong in Mediterranean culture of antiquity, and in the time of Jesus. A child brought honor to his or her family, and to dishonor one’s family was a matter of life and death. It is said that in the Mediterranean world of antiquity, everyone had a proper place assigned to them at birth, and no one was expected to become something better than or to improve on the lot of their parents. Children were to continue in the trade of their parents but could not deviate from family lines of business. Jesus is perceived by people in his village as having gone beyond his family boundaries. He does not continue with the trade of Joseph, his foster father, instead he becomes an itinerant preacher. The people in Nazareth knew Jesus and his family very well. Thus they wondered, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” The controversy that greeted Jesus’ homecoming could have resulted from his choosing not to continue with Joseph’s trade. This is a breach of family honor. As though this was not grave enough, he preaches not even to fellow Mediterranean Judeans but to Gentiles and even performs miracles of healing among them, citing the ministry of Old Testament examples such as prophets Elijah and Elisha among non-Israelites. By so doing, Jesus puts himself in the tradition of the prophets as one like them. We could understand why his townspeople were enraged and wanted to kill him. He had violated the Mediterranean honor code.

How does this fit with our American culture today, where it is expected that children do better than their parents? Where competition to excel is the order of the day? Well, there is nothing wrong with pursuing excellence in the material life. My invitation to us would be to pursue excellence in our spiritual life with same vigor and zeal as we pursue it in our academics and professional life. If we miss heaven after all our strivings, for success, accomplishments, fame, wealth and popularity, we would have lost all.

This week I will be away at Camp Bullis in San Antonio, Texas for a training. Keep me in your prayers, as I will do same for you. Please remember our vicariate’s Listening Session for the Synod coming up at St. Pius X in Granger on February 3rd at 6 pm. I hope everyone would attend. My gratitude to Father William, who would be helping with the sacraments while I am away.

May Jesus bless you, and may Our Lady protect you!