In this section you can find a daily commentary on the Gospel of the Day.

Sunday 5 July 2020

Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Tme – Year A

Word of today
The Gospel of Mark 6:1-6

Wonder

Where do these words come from? They are different from ours. Where does this knowledge and wisdom come from? They are not ours. Where do these miracles and mighty deeds come from? We are incapable of performing them.
Even in our collective madness, in the cosmic stupidity that we have fallen into, it is incredibile how we succeed nonetheless in recognizing that those words, the words of Jesus, are different from our own, are more powerful and efficacious, illuminating, and bright.
Even we understand that his approach to things, to life, to illness, to hardship is different from our own. Despite being rotten with prejudice and corrupted by every possible mental depravation, we succeed in recognizing a different source, a higher source in all that Jesus says and does. Despite the fact that we are enemies of every wisdom and truth, we are left dazzled and amazed by the generosity and grace of his miracles and by the invincibile logic and power of the Word expressed by him in such a simple and familiar way.
Why then are we still scandalized by Jesus, why are we still arrogant and hostile to him. Why? Because he is the son of Mary? Because he is the son of a carpenter? Because he himself is a carpenter? Should he have been the son of Caius Caesar or Seneca? Should he have been a priest of the temple or an elderly wise man?
What is it about Jesus, God made man, that disturbs us? Does his work as a carpenter disturb us? What is it about Jesus that disturbs us so terribly? Even our crazy, stupid culture recognizes never heard before wisdom, the divine origin of his gestures, the celestial power of his miracles. So what bothers us, what makes him so distant and hostile to us?
But even in our state of total illusion and blindness we are able to perceive Jesus’ celestial beauty, to smell his divine perfume, which signifies that our feigned incredulity is in bad faith. It is preconceived incredulity.
Degenerated incredulity without appeals or excuses. Incredulity that amazes even Jesus and impedes Him from working miracles or amazing deeds. Violent incredulity which is scandalized by beauty and believes in horror.
Preconceived incredulity which is scandalized by good and confirms the bad.
Preconceived incredulity which is scandilized by God and impressed by magic.
Preconceived incredulity which is scandalized by the poor man who ask for justice but approves of the violence of the rich and the powerful.
Preconceived incredulity that is scandalized by an abandoned dog but not by the death of milions of unborn infants at the hands of their mothers.
Preconceived incredulity that is scandalized by the power and truth of Jesus’ words but considers it admirable to teach culture in the school to our young people focusing on ideologies provided by mythologies and philosophy.
Preconceived incredulity that amazes even Jesus but which, thank goodness, did not abolish His desire to go around to the villages and cities searching for simple loving hearts open to his teaching.