Domestic side, not domestications
(Mk 6:1-6)
Where Faith is lacking, only small changes take place, not the staggering wonders of the alternative presence of God’s Kingdom (v.5).
We do not realize that Lord may come from humble, dishonourable origins, as ours could be - without great dynastic lineages.
But Faith in Christ bids farewell to the idea prevalent in top-down cultures and religions, all of which are ill-suited to deal with the normalcy of life that flows.
Jesus avoids rigid models or great appearance patterns. He gives himself with simplicity to his villagers and aims at the formation of authentic believers.
Their Trust must be placed only in the Kingdom of God - a dimension that really breaks the balance, because it’s introduced into daytime existence, and ferments it from invisible roots.
As Father’s Envoy, he would like all the people to be builders and banners of other dreams - but in his native village he feels like he is blocked by those who are unable to ‘decipher the dimension of the divine in the human’.
He must face the dull incomprehension of the centers of power, but sometimes also defaults and very hopes - quiet or divisive - of the popular reality that frequents places of worship.
The villagers expected the usual now addicted blessings, or perhaps a charismatic leader in the fight against the Romans - and here they gladly used to leverage the blaze of religious identity, to inflame souls.
They would have accepted a belligerent captain, who reflected archaic beliefs - instead they find themselves disappointed in the inapparent reality before their eyes.
They do not know how to discover the God’s plot in the history of the least.
Conversely, there are numerous divine signs inscribed in what is in a minor way manifested, wich can help us discover the not purely earthly dimension of things, relationships, presences.
Many people misunderstand the spirit of strength that Faith transmits to us: it breaks the balance because it does not offer guarantees already imagined - but it’s basically domestic and entirely natural.
Each Seed has its own particular destiny and development.
So why is the boy they have met since birth so different?
For the fact that there is no equation between what is thought in a conformist way, and the Lord. Not even giving emphasis to resolutions.
Both great expectations and proximity can be an obstacle to a daily knowledge of what of extraordinary is hidden behind the ordinary dimension of events and people.
Even many confreres or collaborators of Saints have not been able to grasp the exceptionality of a common life lived in fidelity and dedication to their own Call by Name.
All the more real the less flashy.
Misunderstanding and village jealousy of those who live next door [and chase a god of their own, disfigured] is a source of bitterness, but it does not stop us.
Experience of rejection pushes to change direction (v.6b).
The soul lives under the sign of Uniqueness that renounces prejudice, quiet life, simple approval, easy success.
And closed doors can be an added value! They open us to the journey of the soul in the Spirit, to the eccentric Announcement, to an astounding Mission.
In this way, like Jesus, we too willingly refuse to affix ready-made seals to the spirit of mediocrity that does not annoy anyone.
[14th Sunday in O.T. (B) July 7, 2024]
