Jesus' Wisdom Surprised His Townspeople

July 30, 2021, Friday
Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
(Opt. Mem.) Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 405

Reading I
Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37

The LORD said to Moses,
“These are the festivals of the LORD which you shall celebrate
at their proper time with a sacred assembly.
The Passover of the LORD falls on the fourteenth day of the first month,
at the evening twilight.
The fifteenth day of this month is the LORD’s feast of Unleavened Bread.
For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
On the first of these days you shall hold a sacred assembly
and do no sort of work.
On each of the seven days you shall offer an oblation to the LORD.
Then on the seventh day you shall again hold a sacred assembly
and do no sort of work.”
The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the children of Israel and tell them:
When you come into the land which I am giving you,
and reap your harvest,
you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest
to the priest, who shall wave the sheaf before the LORD
that it may be acceptable for you.
On the day after the sabbath the priest shall do this.
“Beginning with the day after the sabbath,
the day on which you bring the wave-offering sheaf,
you shall count seven full weeks,
and then on the day after the seventh week, the fiftieth day,
you shall present the new cereal offering to the LORD.
“The tenth of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement,
when you shall hold a sacred assembly and mortify yourselves
and offer an oblation to the LORD.
“The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the LORD’s feast of Booths,
which shall continue for seven days.
On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly,
and you shall do no sort of work.
For seven days you shall offer an oblation to the LORD,
and on the eighth day you shall again hold a sacred assembly
and offer an oblation to the LORD.
On that solemn closing you shall do no sort of work.
“These, therefore, are the festivals of the LORD
on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly,
and offer as an oblation to the LORD burnt offerings and cereal offerings,
sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day.”

Responsorial Psalm
81:3-4, 5-6, 10-11ab

R.     (2a)  Sing with joy to God our help.

Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel,
    the pleasant harp and the lyre.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
    at the full moon, on our solemn feast.

R.     Sing with joy to God our help.

For it is a statute in Israel,
    an ordinance of the God of Jacob,
Who made it a decree for Joseph
    when he came forth from the land of Egypt.

R.     Sing with joy to God our help.

There shall be no strange god among you
    nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
    who led you forth from the land of Egypt.

R.     Sing with joy to God our help.

Alleluia
1 Pt 1:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The word of the Lord remains forever;
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mt 13:54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?”
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house.”
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.

REFLECTION:

It seems there was a moment when the light broke through when the people realized the power of Jesus’ wisdom and actions. Then the clouds came over and they thought, ‘If he were so special we would not have missed it.’ It sometimes happens in our lives too, that we have moments of recognition when we see how blessed we are, how fortunate – perhaps compared to others. All too quickly, we may find ourselves returning to our usual complaints. The people of Jesus’ town were in the presence of Jesus but did not recognize him for who he was. I take this time of prayer to be in the presence of Jesus, to recognize who he is, and to ask him to help me to see my life as he does.

Ask Jesus for the grace to realize that every time you meet him in your prayer you are meeting God. Allow his disturbing freshness to captivate you. Like Mary, allow Jesus to do ‘deeds of power’ through you for the good of the world.

PRAYER:

I pray for wisdom and enlightenment so that I may listen to and reflect on the teachings of Jesus with renewed insight and wisdom, seeing their relevance to my walk of faith with Him.