"Purity of Weakness"

This Gospel reading begins as Jesus and His disciples returned to His native place. On the Sabbath when Jesus went to the synagogue and taught, all who listened to Him were astonished. They were taken aback at the power of His teaching and presence. This was Jesus, a man they knew very well. He was a man who had grown up in their midst. How had Jesus become so knowledgeable and such a powerful speaker? He was the son of a carpenter, not the son of a rabbi. Many people in his hometown discounted Jesus and His message. They refused to listen to Him. After all, who did Jesus think He was to preach to the people who had known Him from birth? Jesus did not get angry. Rather, Jesus replied to their comments by saying that typically a prophet is not honored by the people who have known him from birth. Jesus realized that He was simply too familiar to them. They only saw in Him what they wanted to see; thus, Jesus was unable to perform any great deeds there as they had no faith in Him. It can be easy to discount the people whom we know the best. They are so familiar to us that we simply may take them for granted. Take a moment and think about the people in your life: what are their gifts? How do they gift you with their love and care? Do you appreciate them? Do you appreciate their gifts and talents? Do you let them know how important they are to you? Today make time to give thanks for the many people who love and care about you! In some small way, let them know how grateful you are to have them in your life!