Today's Gospel

Lk 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.

Link to USCCB Daily Reading

Today's Reflection

Today's reflection is from Patrick Brennan, Powers Catholic High School Campus Minister.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says some very unpopular things to the people in his hometown.  Jesus is willing to speak the truth in love, even if it means being rejected by others.  Speaking the truth is never easy, especially among family and friends.  So what gave Jesus the strength and self-control to speak so boldly in this moment?  Jesus knew that, even though his earthly hometown rejected him, he had a “hometown” in heaven and a heavenly Father that loved him.  He lived from the reality that he was the beloved Son of God.  That heavenly acceptance allowed Jesus to speak the truth on earth without the fear of rejection.


As we ponder this Gospel passage, it’s worth asking some tough questions so that we can face the truth in our own lives.  Are we rejecting the truths of our faith so that we can remain comfortable, achieve social status, or gain acceptance from others?  Do we want to know the truth - the ultimate truths about God, about this life, and about eternal life?  Is our identity based first in relationship with God or first in earthly relationships?


The call for us today is to follow Jesus by living in the truth - that we also are the beloved sons and daughters of our heavenly Father.  Like Jesus, our true and eternal citizenship is not on earth, but in heaven.  By receiving these truths into our lives, we will be more free to live and share the truths of our faith without fear of rejection.  So let us go to Jesus in prayer today, in order to receive our true identity and our true inheritance as beloved children of God.  From that union with the Son of God, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.



Let us pray...

Please click play to join us in our prayer for today, led by Patrick Brennan,

Powers Catholic High School Campus Minister.

Happy Lent 2023 - Monday, March 13th