Sometimes, we can be hemmed in by our
expectations. The people of Jesus’
native town have expectations of him.
They know him as the son of Mary and Joseph who grew up as a member of
their community. They didn’t expect him
to enter the synagogue, teaching them out of wisdom and authority.
Sometimes we have expectations of
ourselves that we need to overcome. Sometimes we don’t push ourselves and don’t
expect ourselves to adhere to God’s laws and commandments. Perhaps we don’t think it is necessary to do
so; perhaps we are pulled by the lure of the values of our world.
Many of the people of Ancient Israel
rejected Jesus and teachings. He was put
to a violent death, the most humiliating kind of death in the Ancient
Mediterranean World. We also have the
choice to accept or reject Christ’s teachings and message as well. We don’t have to do it alone. We have so many others around us on our
journey to encourage and guide us and help us learn the values of the
faith. We have examples of our faith
from the community of saints – people like the Blessed Virgin Mary and St James
– who help us with their prayers and intercessions and example. We have others to help us, but ultimately the
choice is ours.
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