Today the gospel reading tells the story of how the people in His hometown were at a crossroad and their lack of faith became their biggest stumbling block. But not everyone rejected Jesus, he was able to heal. What is one person’s stumbling block can be a stepping stone for another. Thank goodness the Lord is patient with us.
Apparently it was hard for them to believe that a simple son of a carpenter could be so filled with wisdom and power. This must have caused Jesus some internal suffering, after all everyone wants to be accepted in their hometown, and Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith. Jesus could not exercise His power of healing because of the negativity and lack of faith.
Every day we face a variety of situations where we find ourselves at a crossroad to be an imitation of Christ or not. It is good to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the strength and the courage to get out of the way and let the Lord heal us.
I am thankful that Jesus is merciful and compassionate as He continues to knock at the door or our hearts. This image is depicted in a famous painting of the Good Shepherd knocking on a door without a latch. The door of our heart can only be opened from the inside. God does not force anything on us and the decision to open the door and surrender our heart to Him is ours.
So let us be filled with courage and open our hearts.
