04/03/2024

I can think of no other examples of  "a prophet is never accepted in his own country" except from the Bible. In our world national support for politicians is often the greatest in what is their hometown power base. 

Prophets however are sent by God and much of what is their message is unpalatable to us the receivers. Father, Son and Holy Spirit only want for us to follow the right path on Earth and avoid the pitfalls and traps of the material world that can soon captivate us to the extent of forgetting that eternal life depends on us using our God-given freedom to follow him.

In the Arab world Christians are often known as "Nazrani" which is ironical as it was the people of Nazareth who, in today's Gospel, first threatened the human violence which Jesus was to accept as the end of his life on Earth.

Some moments I feel an immeasurable distance from God. I suppose that this is the reality for all mankind. We are so miniscule in relation to the Evergreaterness of God that we accept any of the vast gifts of creation which we can understand, and use them to fill our beings with known goods even though we do know that they are fleeting. We thus block ourselves off from the Eternal Grace which really matters. God is perpetual creative love and has created us to understand this as much as we are able so that our response is the reciprocated love of joyful hearts.

I have to thank God that even in depths of my sinfulness he has never lost touch with me and has never withheld his grace. He is indeed "My Lord and my God", the light of my life, the supreme source of all that is Good and the Saviour of all mankind.

Dear Lord, I thank you that I am able to accept your grace. I thank you that I can be open to receive your Love. May your Love be irresistible to all of us here on Earth that each one of us can resist the personal sins that create the evil that sullies your beloved creation. May Mary, the only one who has never been separated from your Love, lead all of your spiritual creation unseen by us in the prayers that are the only way to save your people from the way of destruction on Earth and the Eternal unhappiness that is created by disobedience in life.