Note from the meeting with Fr. Foeckler July 9th, 2024

[Michaela]

Note from the meeting with Fr. Foeckler July 9th, 2024

Gospel from the last Sunday, July 7th

Mk 6:1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.

When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,

and many who heard him were astonished.

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 Joses 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.

 

Jesus is being rejected by his own neighbors and kins. Also, there’s the question of the brothers and sisters of Jesus. Some people argue that Jesus has 4 brothers, and other sisters, some protestants believe those are St. Mary’s children. The word brother here in Greek, can be blood brother, or brother in general like cousin. We believe “the brother” here meant his cousins. St. Mark identified three women under the cross as Salome, Mary Magdala, and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph (Joses), wife of Clopas, not the Mary, mother of Jesus. St. John mentioned Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala, and Jesus’ mother. (John 19, 25) Mary was a popular, common name then and today.

 

Jesus was a prophet, and not accepted by his neighbors. He is in Nazareth, and people there know him as a son of a carpenter. Joseph must have been dead for years. People says they know his mom, his brothers and sisters. They acknowledge that he has wisdom but don’ want to accept that as what he is, a prophet who knows may prophecies of Old Testaments.

 

The Greek word “Scandal” means a stumbling rock. The people took offense believing they got understanding of him based on the facts they know of him.

 

“Familiarity breeds contempt.”

It takes faith to see things clearly. The principle is familiarity can be a stumbling rock to see Jesus. They reject him, want to throw him out of town. Nazareth is on a high mountain, if one is thrown away from there, he wouldn’t be able to survive. The reason they rejected him is because they thought they knew him. There are few things they don’t know, for instance, they don’t know that he hadn’t actually been born in Nazareth but in Bethlehem, just went to Nazareth to avoid Herod. A lot of people need to know that we don’t know all the facts.

 

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”

 

 

 

Reading 1

Ezekiel noticed all the wrong doings of Israelites. God has sent Ezekiel, to preach them, and turn them to repent, to give them promise, but the Israelites did not listen to them, because people didn’t listen to the prophets. This is the prophet Jesus referred on today (July 7th)’s Gospel.

 

Ez 2:2-5

As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me

and set me on my feet,

and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:

Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,

rebels who have rebelled against me;

they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.

Hard of face and obstinate of heart

are they to whom I am sending you.

But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!

And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—

they shall know that a prophet has been among them.

 

Faith locks the power of Jesus in us. Have faith in Jesus. Deepening the trust in him, letting him do his will is what we need to do.

 

Reading 2

2 Cor 12:7-10

Brothers and sisters:

That I, Paul, might not become too elated,

because of the abundance of the revelations,

a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,

to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.

Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,

but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,

for power is made perfect in weakness.”

I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,

in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,

hardships, persecutions, and constraints,

for the sake of Christ;

for when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

Thorn in the flesh can be comprehended in many ways. It can be “Stimuli Carni” which means stimulation of flesh, or just a physical ailment, or his enemy. St. Paul was sick. Maybe he suggested that he had an eye problem by saying thorn in the flesh. But he is saying Corinthians were very helpful to help him even try to give him an eye. His ailment was inhibiting in his work. This is why he mentioned in the revelation, he was taken to the 3rd heaven. In the end, we don’t know what exactly the thorn in the flesh was. He was blinded on the way to Jerusalem for 3 days, then the Lord gave him sight. Asking the Lord, we should ask him to give us the cure.

 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,* in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

 

 

 

2 Corinthians 1;3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement,* who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.

 

When god told him otherwise, he accepted. There is consolation in affliction. God will console you in a pain

 

My grace is enough for you. The condemnation by the mop. There is no justice. Pilate wanted to let it go. In his affliction, he saved condemnation, and shared grace. There is consolation in affliction, and God always shares Hiis grace.

 

St. Paul. “I don’t boast anything except the cross of God.”

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