Jesus is More than a Prophet

My Dear Parishioners,
 
Today’s Gospel reading begins as Jesus and His disciples return home, to his native place. On the Sabbath, Jesus went to the synagogue and He began to teach. All who listened to Jesus were astonished. They were astonished at His teaching as well as the power of His presence. This was Jesus, a man they knew very well. He was a man who had grown up in their midst.
 
Many people in his hometown discounted Jesus and His message. They refused to listen to Him. They were so familiar with him in his humanity that they couldn't conceive of his Divinity. They fail to perceive that Jesus is the Christ. He is Emmanuel - God with us, the fulfillment of the prophesy of Isaiah.
 
Jesus is more than a prophet, but part of his mission was prophetic. He proclaimed a message of moral reform, mercy and salvation. When we were baptized into Christ we were called to share in Christ's prophetic mission.
 
To be a prophet is difficult because the message of the Gospel is challenging and sometimes controversial, but it's a message that people need to hear whether they want to hear it or not. The spirit of the age is often at odds with the values of the Gospel.
 
It is especially difficult to be a prophet in one's own hometown, in our family and among other people who know us well, yet that is what we are all called to do.
 
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Pawel Bala