July 4, 2021- Change is Hard

July 4, 2021 Gospel Reading
Mk 6:1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!

Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.

This week’s Gospel has always reminded me of the difficulty of changing one’s identity in the eyes of another.  It is easy to think we know another person and to make judgments from this past knowledge.  A kid was the class clown but now is inspired to take school seriously.  An adult used to have a problem with alcohol but now strives to be better. 

Do we give these people a chance to change themselves in our heart and mind, or do we always look at them as the person they once were?  People are capable of great change and are always more complicated than we can imagine.  In the Gospel today, Jesus is being looked at in a negative way because of his career, status, and background.  Those who hear Him make a judgement based on what they have previously come to know about Him and dismiss Him immediately.  Some even take offense that such a lowly person would have the nerve to offer them wisdom. 

It is important to reflect on today’s Gospel and remember to always give people the benefit of the doubt.  If someone is making positive changes, these are good things to celebrate and encourage.  We should also change our perception of them to the best of our ability.  When people try to change, it is incredibly discouraging to be looked at by others with the attitude of, “once a failure, always a failure.” 

We must raise these people up with encouragement and acceptance.  If we fail to do this, we will be like the people in Christ’s native place, miss the beautiful thing happening in front of us, and fail to see Christ present before our very eyes.