Daily Catholic Lectio. Wed, 5 February ’25. Returning to hometown!

Daily Catholic Lectio

Wed, 5 February ‘25

Fourth Week in Ordinary Time – Wednesday

Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15. Psalm 103. Mark 6:1-6

Returning to hometown!

After performing great miracles—healing the woman with a haemorrhage and raising Jairus’ daughter—Jesus returns to His hometown. He arrives as a hero, but His own people reduce Him to nothing. Outside His hometown, people believe in Him. But in His own village, they reject Him. This rejection becomes an obstacle to the miracles He could have performed there. 

Mark records three key events that unfold in Jesus’ hometown, revealing important truths about faith, human nature, and discipleship.

1. They struggle to accept Jesus

When Jesus returns to His hometown, He teaches in the synagogue, and His words astonish the people. However, rather than embracing His wisdom and recognizing His divine authority, they hesitate to accept Him. They are unable to reconcile the humble carpenter they once knew with the miracle worker and teacher He has become.

A well-known saying goes, “When people refuse to accept your present, they will dig into your past.” This is precisely what happens here. Instead of acknowledging the transformation and divine mission of Jesus, His own people begin to question His background. They recall His ordinary origins, His family, and His upbringing, as if those things disqualify Him from being God’s chosen one. They even mock Him by calling Him “Mary’s son”, which is an indirect insult. In Jewish culture, a man was typically referred to by his father’s name, yet here they refuse to call Him “Joseph’s son”, possibly as a way of casting doubt on His virgin birth.

Their prejudices, fears, and unwillingness to accept change prevent them from seeing the truth about Jesus. This teaches us that sometimes, those who know us best can struggle the most to accept our growth and transformation.

2. Their lack of faith blocks miracles

One of the most striking aspects of this passage is that Jesus is unable to perform many miracles in His hometown because of their lack of faith. This reveals an important truth: Faith and miracles are interconnected. Miracles are not simply acts of divine power imposed upon people; they are responses to faith. 

The people of Jesus’ hometown had every opportunity to witness and experience the power of God in their midst, yet their stubbornness and doubt created a barrier between them and divine intervention. 

3. Jesus moves on

Despite being rejected by His own people, Jesus does not dwell in disappointment. He does not argue with them or try to force them to believe. Instead, He simply moves on to other villages where people are open to receiving His message. This is a powerful lesson for all of us.

Many times, we allow rejection and negative opinions to halt our journey. We become trapped in the need for validation from those closest to us. But Jesus shows us another way: Keep moving forward. His mission was not defined by the approval of others, nor was His identity shaken by their doubt. He continued His work, knowing that His purpose was greater than the opinions of those who refused to believe.

What does this Gospel teach us?

Every one of us has a hometown—a place where we belong, where we are known, and where our roots are planted. It is where we have grown up, built relationships, and established our identity. For many, the hometown represents a place of comfort and familiarity, but it can also be a place where growth is challenged.

Our birth and, in most cases, our burial take place in our hometown. It is a place where people accept us as we are, yet at the same time, it is also where people struggle to accept our transformation. Just as we do not choose our parents or siblings, we do not choose our hometown—it is given to us.

However, by embracing our origins, we also connect with the wider world and the universe itself. Our personal history shapes us, but it does not define or limit us. When we come to terms with our hometown—its blessings and its challenges—we find greater peace and harmony with the world around us.

Our true hometown: The presence of God

In today’s first reading, the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that God calls His people ‘children.’ This powerful image reveals that, beyond our earthly origins, our true home is in God. No matter where we come from, we ultimately belong to Him. This truth is echoed in the Responsorial Psalm, that portrays God as a loving father: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103)

No matter what rejection or hardship we face, we can always find acceptance, comfort, and belonging in God.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy