Reflection for Tuesday September 30 Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church: Luke 9:51-56

Gospel: Luke 9:51-56

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.

 

When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

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Reflection:

What is your attitude when somebody rejects you? Do you feel bad and offended, or do you simply shrug it off, move on, and treat rejection as a normal part of life? 

Jesus was refused entry into the Samaritan village, but instead of sulking or harboring resentment toward the Samaritan people, He simply walked away without holding any ill will against them. 

Perhaps Jesus was silently saying: “You refused me entry into your village, so I will move on without any ill feelings against you, people of Samaria.” In that negative reception, Jesus had a positive reaction: “Let’s move on and go forth with our mission.” 

Every now and then, there will also be people who try to offend us or bait us into stooping to their level of arrogance. So what are we going to do? We must not take the bait. Instead, we should keep calm and not allow ourselves to be offended. 

We simply have to take the higher road and squeeze out whatever positive lessons we can draw from a negative situation. We have to remember that nobody is in charge of how we react to any situation except us. 

Therefore, we should never forget to look for the positive in every negative circumstance that comes our way. When we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts, even rejection can become a moment of redirection toward God’s greater plan.

How do you respond when others reject or offend you—do you let anger take over, or do you, like Jesus, choose to walk away with peace in your heart? – Marino J. Dasmarinas