Wonder and Gratitude!

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ez 2:2-5; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6

The fourteenth week invites us to strengthen our faith through a profound sense of wonder and gratitude. 

The first reading highlights prophet Ezekiel’s mission to the people of God, who proved stubborn as described by the phrase ‘hard of face and obstinate of heart.’ In this context, Ezekiel’s mission signals a rough day at work, which was to interpret the collapse of the traditional religious life of the people of Israel. Because the people of God fell to the level of heathens as a result of their ingratitude and arrogance, they behaved like people who did not have God. The lack of appreciation of their identity as God’s people becomes the reason for the degradation in their social and religious lives. It is to such people that God sends the prophet Ezekiel, warning him enough of the opposition he will face. What was the reason for the obstinacy of the People of God? God’s people forgot that God was the center of their lives, and what they overlooked became the cause of their downfall. Instead, the embrace of their identity would have kept them in God consciousness to be the regulating force in their lives. 

The Gospel passage closely aligns with the first reading in terms of the rejection faced by Jesus in his hometown. Jesus was brought up in Nazareth, where his kinsfolk still lived. However, the visit to his native place is not a pleasant experience for Jesus. From the words of the people of his hometown, we also glimpse into the down-to-earth life of Jesus before his public ministry. However, it is sad to see that the lowliness of God does not inspire admiration but derision. Jesus’ humility is not praised but spoken ill of. Jesus’ virtues are taken for granted, and they could only envy him. For the people of his hometown, Jesus’ present life of fame and popularity contradicts his former life of obscurity and poverty. When they overlook the reality of Jesus as the Son of God, they cannot appreciate the presence of the Lord in their midst. In their disbelief and envy, they refer to him as ‘this man’ without the mention of his name. A biblical scholar beautifully captures the ill-will that Jesus suffered in his hometown. ‘Nazareth saw most of the Lord but profited least.’ The Gospel is an example of the truth that even the mighty presence of Jesus fails to heal stubborn hearts and envious eyes. 

In the second reading, Paul highlights what saved him from the hatred and misrecognition that the people of God suffer in the first reading and the Gospel. Though we do not have a clear understanding of his reference to the ‘thorn in his flesh,’ we see that Paul is proud and happy about such limitation, especially as it constantly reminds him of the greatness of God and his own vulnerability without the grace of God. Paul finds his weakness or limitation an antidote to what might numb his soul to the goodness and glory of God. In this sense, his insistence on the ‘sufficiency of God’s grace’ is a lesson for us to lean on God as our strength and refuge. 

The fourteenth week invites us to reflect on three points. 

1.Recognition leads to wonder. In the case of the first reading and the Gospel, what God’s people suffer from is a lack of recognition of God’s goodness. The alienation of the truth of God ends up in an alienation of the meaning of life. As a result, they had eyes but no vision. They had ears but no understanding. On the contrary, the recognition of God would have led them to a sense of surrender before God. The ineffable greatness of God can only infuse wonder in us. 

2. Wonder leads to gratitude. Here, we are called to reflect on wonder as a faith practice. Though faith can occur through many channels, wonder is chief among them. For someone lost in wonder, the immensity and grandeur of nature can only lead to God. Such a profound sense of wonder also makes us grateful because we come to the realization that we are the undeserving recipients of God’s goodness. Unfortunately, having fallen prey to modern addictions, we are gradually losing our sense of wonder, and there is not so much that we are grateful for. Wonder can liberate us from spiritual drudgery, and the gratitude it inspires can help us reconnect with God. 

3. Gratitude leads to praise. A grateful heart expresses its gratitude through faith. Faith and gratitude enjoy a mutual upholding of each other. While faith strengthens gratitude, gratitude increases faith. The more we are grateful, the deeper is our faith in God. In this sense, our gratitude can be the gateway to faith. Also, a grateful heart offers the best praise because it proceeds from the recognition that life is God’s gift and we are, thanks to God’s immense love and goodness. 

Let us pay heed to God’s voice and praise our Maker in wonder and gratitude. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar