Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time B July 9, 2006

Ezek 2: 2-5 Psalm: 123 2 Cor 12: 7-10 Mark 6:1-6

1. I never seem to get anything right.

The others are better than me.

Nobody loves me.

These seem to be statements from someone who has a low self image, from persons who are insecure of themselves. If that is the case with you, then all the three readings in today’s liturgy will give you a lot of security. Ezekiel, Paul and even Jesus are suffering set backs in their work, in their ministry. Nothing seems to be going well, they do not seem to get their act together.

2. During the past week, those of you who have been going for daily Mass, will hear the story of the Prophet Amos. He is from the southern Kingdom of Judah and God tells him, “Go and prophesy to my people”. The predicament of Amos is that he has to preach to the northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel. We have plenty of problems in Canada, but can you imagine an American coming from South of the Border and telling us:

how to run our Health Care System, and how to care for the Elderly

how to deal with the homeless, the refugee and the unemployed

how to deal with the drug situation, the street violence, the disrespect shown to national monuments.

We would acknowledge that we have problems, but we would in a typical Canadian manner be courteous, but we would take him to the border and send him back home. And that is what happened to Amos. The year was 750, about 200 years later in 570, we find another prophet: Ezekiel and he is also from the Kingdom of the South. He too has been asked by God to preach to the Kingdom of Israel (the northern Kingdom) But Ezekiel has another problem: not only is he a foreigner, but God tells him: Go and prophesy to the People. But they will not listen to you. They will reject you. Ezekiel could have protested, “Then why should I bother.” Actually Ezekiel is not commanded once, but four times he is called by God to warn the people. They would not listen, and there is the destruction of the Temple, and Ezekiel together with the People of Israel is taken into captivity into Babylon.

3. Often times parents, feel like Ezekiel. They warn their children and grandchildren to keep the Law of the Lord and to keep the Law of the Church. The children keep the Law of the Lord, but they think that the Law of the Church is irrelevant. Attending Sunday Mass, baptising their children, getting married in the Church is considered an option they might choose to do or omit. God continues to ask parents to prophesy like Ezekiel, God also says that like the People of Israel, the children today will turn a deaf ear. But we must continue the work of prophesy, even if it seems futile.

4. Paul has another type of “insecure feeling”, a sense of failure. The issue with Paul is not his audience and whether they will listen to him. The issue is an internal and personal problem. He describes it as a Thorn in the Flesh. People concentrate on the “Flesh” and think it might be a drinking, eating or sexual problem. But it could be anything: anger, jealousy, fear, scrupulousness. All these speculations are immaterial. Paul faces the issue like we should. He prays to God. His prayer is not the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Father let this chalice pass me by, but not my will.” Paul “wants out” of this problem. Jesus received an angel to minister to him, Paul is told, that God’s grace will be sufficient. And this is the message to each of us:

someone suffers from a stroke, or a heart attack: life styles must change

someone is fired from a job. Getting a new job at 50 is not easy !

someone’s marriage breaks up. How do I put my life together again?

someone mismanages the finances, they have to file for bankruptcy.

someone has a miscarriage - and is totally devastated.

Although it is true that nothing is given to us which is beyond our strength and ability, while we are faced with these issues, we feel as if we are going through a hell which is beyond our capabilities. In my past 30+ years of priestly ministry, I have met people again and again who have said to me, “if it were not for my faith, if it were not for my belief in God, I would have fallen apart.” They have come back stronger, they have become like Ezekiel and Paul sources of strength for the weaker brothers and sisters in our church. They have become Pillars of Fire to enlighten others who go through the same “hell”.

5. Jesus has his own problems. His humanity is seen so clearly in today’s Gospel. He is rejected by his own people. Prophets usually are rejected when they call us to turn from the broad and much used road that leads to destruction. There is a saying that goes: “Your damned if you do, and your damned if you do not.” Ezekiel was rejected because he was an outsider, from another territory, Jesus is rejected because he is an “insider”. He is the local boy whom all knew well enough. We know his father and mother and where he grew up. What is trying to put on airs now !

We are told that Jesus could not do any miracles there. As God, Jesus could have and would have done miracles any where and at any time, even hanging from the cross. But he will not do a miracle just to please the crowd, just to be popular, just to curry favour with the crowds. The miracles were “signs” as we read in John’s Gospel. And Jesus would them only to lead people to God.

If they were not open,

if they were not ready,

if they were not accepting,

then Jesus would shake the dust of his feet and go where people were open to God’s grace and healing powers.