Worldview

Readings for Monday August 30, 2010

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119
Gospel: Luke 4:16-30


Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” And he said, “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. (Lk. 4:16-30)

"Just when you think you know somebody" ... These were probably the words that went through the mind of the people of Jesus' hometown of Nazareth. They were shocked at the words He had spoken in the synagogue. They thought that they knew who this man was, they were not prepared to hear that He was the one that the prophets had spoken of. You see, they knew Him as the son of Joseph, they had been around Him for so many years never realizing who He really was. When He read in the synagogue that day, they realized that this man that they thought they had figured out, was not who they thought he was at all. That day their worldview was shattered things that they thought they knew no longer held up.

Jesus has a way of shattering our worldview, just as He did with the people of His hometown. The thing that we learn from today's gospel is that this shattering of the worldview is not always taken lightly. How often do we like it when someone corrects our opinions or views on things? How often do we like being told that our way of thinking is not correct? How many times do we get defensive and make excuses during the times when we are wrong and someone else is right? The reality is that when our worldview is challenged, it is an unsettling time. It is a difficult time where we really begin to question things that we thought that we knew. As I said before, Jesus has a way of shattering our worldview, but we must remember that this is not a bad thing, but rather a time for growth. The problem that we have when our worldview is challenged is that we may have to admit that we are wrong, and that is never easy. This is why the virtue of humility is so important, because those who are humble recognize that they do not have all the answers, or that they know everything; but those who are humble recognize that God does have all the answers, and that He truly does know everything.

Today, let us let Jesus shatter our worldview. Let us recognize that He is God, and we are not.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, thank you for your many gifts and blessings in our life. Lord, help us to have the courage and the wisdom to admit that we are not in control and that it is you who are Lord, not us. God, help us to be good stewards of all that you bless us with, help us to not take this life for granted, but rather to live how you want us to. Lord, you are our God, and we are your people, may our lives always be a reflection of you. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.