For a more enriching experience,
go down on your knees to pray or take it one step further
and prostrate yourself (lay face down) on the floor while praying.
Father, today's reading is one of my favorites because it is a gentle reminder of how hard and critical I can be toward those closest to me. Jesus ran into this problem and knew that those closest to Him would take the most convincing. Jesus knew He would get more honor, press and respect from those outside of His own town and family. Those who did not know Him personally would be more apt or excited to hear what He had to say than with those who knew Him or His family, after all, to them He was just a carpenter in the community. Those who were closest and more familiar with Him felt contempt because He was one of them, so how could He act or claim to be of higher knowledge? Who did He think He was? They figured He forgot His roots but there He was back in His home town preaching in synagogue and what He received in return was familiar contempt. Father, I have done this to others and I have had it done it to me.
Thank You for this awareness that familiar contempt breeds a closed and angry mind. Familiar contempt can show up in many different ways, not only toward those closest to me, but toward a project that I am working on. Sometimes I can be so familiar with a project that I end up disliking something I used to Love and enjoy. This can also happen in my relationships as well. Familiar contempt can show up anywhere in my Life, as it closes my mind to others and puts all of the want, need, desire and attention on me. This is nothing but jealousy, envy, insecurity and selfishness. Thank You Father, thank You for such an enLightening awareness today.
Through Jesus Christ's Most Precious Blood, Most Sacred Name and Most Holy Face, I thank You for this awareness. Amen~
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
Matthew 13:54-58
54 and coming to His own country He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56 And are not all His sisters with us? Where then did this Man get all this?"
57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."
58 And He did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ
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