Gospel: Mark 6:1-6
They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took
offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in
his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not
able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by
laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
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Reflection:
Was Jesus expecting to be treated like a powerful celebrity when He returned to His hometown? No, because it was not in His character to flaunt Himself. As much as possible, Jesus wanted to be treated like an ordinary person; never did He desire publicity or recognition. He performed miracles without any fanfare or hype, and we attribute this to His humility.
Let us reflect on ourselves as individuals—don’t we desire recognition? Don’t we crave to be heard? We love it when people acknowledge the things we do, and this is often due to our yearning to satisfy our bloated egos. But isn’t it possible for us to be humble and low-profile like Jesus?
As we do good deeds or do anything for God, let us not seek recognition; instead, let us simply fade into the background. Let us not crave adulation, for those who seek it are often abandoned like a hot potato in the end. Those who thirst for admiration ultimately end up in disgrace.
Let us not be
disheartened if we are not recognized or honored, for such recognition is
merely temporary, given by temporal humans like us. In all things, let us seek
the humility of Jesus. Let us long for the silent approval of Jesus rather than
the noisy, false, and fleeting recognition of this world. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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