Reflection for March 24 Monday of the Third Week of Lent: Luke 4:24-30

Gospel: Luke 4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land.  

It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 

When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away. 

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Reflection: 

Are you sometimes envious of the success of others? 

Perhaps crab mentality was in the minds of Jesus’ townmates, which is why they did not acknowledge Him as their prophet. They were envious of His newfound celebrity status and could not accept that a simple carpenter was performing life-changing preaching, healings, and miracles. 

The reality of our lives is this: we do not control the destiny of others—only God does. God can raise up seemingly ordinary people and give them extraordinary gifts and missions. We must not be envious of those whom God has blessed with these extraordinary gifts; instead, we should be happy for them. 

As a result of their loathsome behavior toward Jesus, He did not perform many miracles in their town. Let us not be like His townmates. Instead, let us embrace Jesus, deeply believe in Him, and follow His teachings, for He alone holds the key to our salvation. —Marino J. Dasmarinas