12 March 2018
Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
We hear in today’s gospel the admonition that no prophet is accepted in his own land. Of course, the presumption in this reading comes from the idea that our neighbors have been raised on the same water we drank so why should their insights be better than ours? Throughout the gospel Jesus reminds us that it is the unexpected and the small that serves as the vehicle for the unexpected manifestation of the divine. Today’s version of the mustard seed may be the person we least expect or has been ignored at most meetings. During our Lenten examinations we may want to ask ourselves questions concerning who we listen to and why and why we ignore some people and what they have to say. Perhaps for good reason we do not seek the advice of some persons. Perhaps these reasons are not so good and are based on prejudices based on looks, economic background, or class. During this season of Lent, we can use this opportunity to look not so much at who people are but what they have to say.