1. And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.
2. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence has this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
4. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
5. And he could there do no mighty work, save that be laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
6. And he marveled because of their unbelief.
THEOPHYL. After the miracles which have been related, the Lord returns into His own country, not that He was ignorant that they would despise Him, but that they might have no reason to say, If you had come, we had believed You; wherefore it is said, And he went out from thence, and came in to his own country.
BEDE; He means by His country, Nazareth, in which He was brought up. But how great the blindness of the Nazarenes! they despise Him, Who by His words and deeds they might know to be the Christ, soley on account of His kindred. It goes on, And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence has this man these things? and what wisdom is this which it given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? By wisdom is meant His doctrine, by powers, the cures and miracles which He did.
It goes on, Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?
AUG. Matthew indeed says that He was called the son of a carpenter; nor are we to wonder, since both might have been said, for they believed Him to be a carpenter, because He was the son of a carpenter.
PSEUDO-JEROME; Jesus is called the son of a workman, of that one, however, whose work was the morning and the sun, that is, the first and second Church, as a figure of which the woman and the damsel are healed.
BEDE; For although human things are not to be compared with divine, still the type is complete, because the Father of Christ works by fire and spirit. It goes on, The brother of James, Joses, Jude, and of Simon. And are not his sisters here with us? They bear witness that His brothers and sisters were with Him, who nevertheless are not to be taken for the sons of Joseph or of Mary, as heretics say, but rather, as is usual in Scripture, we must understand them to be His relations, as Abraham and Lot are called brothers, though Lot was brother's son to Abraham. And they were offended at him. The stumbling and the error of the Jews is our salvation, and the condemnation of heretics. For so much did they despise the Lord Jesus Christ, as to call Him a carpenter, and son of a carpenter.
It goes on, And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country. Even Moses bears witness that the Lord is called a Prophet in the Scripture, for predicting His future Incarnation to the sons of Israel, he says, A Prophet shall the Lord raise up to you of your brethren. But not only He Himself, Who is Lord of prophets, but also Elias, Jeremiah, and the remaining lesser prophets, were worse received in their own country than in strange cities, for it is almost natural for men to envy their fellow-townsmen; for they do not consider the present works of the man, but they remember the weakness of His infancy.
PSEUDO-JEROME; Oftentimes also the origin of a man brings him contempt, as it is written, Who is the son of Jesse? for the Lord has respect to the lowly; as to the proud, He beholds them afar off.
THEOPHYL. Or again, if the prophet has noble relations, his countrymen hate them, and on that account do not honor the prophet. There follows, And he could there do no mighty work, &c. What, however, is here expressed by He could not, we must take to mean, He did not choose, because it was not that He was weak, but that they were faithless; He does not therefore work any miracles there, for He spared them, lest they should be worthy of greater blame, if they believed not, even with miracles before their eyes. Or else, for the working of miracles, not only the power of the Worker is necessary, but the faith of the recipient, which was wanting in this case: therefore Jesus did not choose to work any signs there.
There follows, And he marveled at their unbelief.
BEDE; Not as if He Who knows all things before they are done, wonders at what He does not expect or look forward to but knowing the hidden things of the heart, and wishing to intimate to men that it was wonderful, He openly shows that He wonders. And indeed the blindness of the Jews was wonderful, for they neither believed what the prophets said of Christ, nor would in their own persons believe in Christ, Who was born amongst them. Mystically again; Christ is despised in His own house and country, that is, amongst the people of the Jews, and therefore He worked few miracles there, lest they should become altogether inexcusable. But He performs greater miracles every day amongst the Gentiles, not so much in the healing of their bodies, as in the salvation of their souls.
6. - And he went round about the villages, teaching.
THEOPHYL. The Lord not only preached in the cities, but also in villages, that we may learn not to despise little things, nor always to seek for great cities, but to sow the word of the Lord, in abandoned and lowly villages. Wherefore it is said, And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Catena Aurea Mark 6
One Bread, One BodyOne Bread, One Body
| << Wednesday, February 6, 2013 >> |
St. Paul Miki & Companions
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Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15
View Readings |
Psalm 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18 |
Mark 6:1-6
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PROPHET-ABLE
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Jesus "could work no miracle there, apart from curing a few who were sick by laying hands on them, so much did their lack of faith distress Him." —Mark 6:5-6
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Jesus wanted to do many miracles and healings for the people of His hometown. However, He cured only "a few" people. This was not because the people failed to recognize Him as Miracle-Worker and Healer (see Mk 6:2); it was due to their "lack of faith" in Him as Prophet. Thus, "Jesus' response to all this was: 'No prophet is without honor except in his native place, among his own kindred, and in his own house' " (Mk 6:4). Jesus likewise wants to do many miracles and healings in our lives, but we will receive only "a few" from Him unless we believe in Jesus as Prophet. Prophets and prophetesses tend to bring up much more than we want to deal with. Like two-edged swords, their words penetrate and divide our souls from our spirits, and judge the thoughts and reflections of our hearts (Heb 4:12). Prophets also upbuild, console, and encourage us (1 Cor 14:3). They say what the Lord is saying right now to us. Their favorite theme is repentance, although they can say almost anything at any time. They are unpredictable, confrontational, convicting, penetrating, encouraging, upsetting, upbuilding, consoling, and more. We usually find prophets "too much" for us (Mk 6:3). Thus, we refuse to honor them and instead often dishonor them. We must resist the temptation to despise prophecy, prophets, and prophetesses (1 Thes 5:20). Otherwise, we will deprive ourselves of the Lord's greatest gifts. |
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Prayer: Father, may I set my heart on all the spiritual gifts, above all the gift of prophecy (1 Cor 14:1).
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Promise: "Strive for peace with all men, and for that holiness without which no one can see the Lord." —Heb 12:14
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Praise: Although Japan was closed to Christianity after St. Paul Miki's martyrdom, the Japanese underground church grew to number 200,000 Catholics in the next 250 years.
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Brother Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best known among the martyrs of Japan. While hanging upon a cross Paul Miki preached to the people gathered for the execution: "The sentence of judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines, but I did not come from any other country. I am a true Japanese. The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ's example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain." 
St. Dorothy, (i.e., the gift of God), a virgin from Caesarea in Cappadocia, allegedly suffered a martyr's death under Diocletian. Her relics are honored in a church dedicated to her honor in the Trastevere section of Rome. (On the door of St. Dorothy's Church the names of those who had not received holy Communion during Easter time used to be posted.) Her feast was introduced into the Roman calendar during the Middle Ages. 
