Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 101
4 JULY 2021 A.D.


Reading I
Ez 2:2-5

As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me
   and set me on my feet,
   and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:
   Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,
   rebels who have rebelled against me;
   they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart
   are they to whom I am sending you.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!
And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—
   they shall know that a prophet has been among them.


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 123:1-2, 2, 3-4

R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

To you I lift up my eyes
   who are enthroned in heaven —
As the eyes of servants
   are on the hands of their masters.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

As the eyes of a maid
   are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
   till he have pity on us.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

Have pity on us, O LORD, have pity on us,
   for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
   with the mockery of the arrogant,
   with the contempt of the proud.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.


Reading II
2 Cor 12:7-10

Brothers and sisters:
That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.


Alleluia
Lk 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel
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.

Overview of the Gospel:

~ This Sunday’s Gospel finds Jesus returning to his hometown of Nazareth. As we have seen in
earlier readings, he had lately made the fishing village of Capernaum his new home and base
location of his ministry (Mark 2:1; 3:19).

~ St. Mark does not mention Jesus’ purpose for returning to Nazareth, but it is apparent that the
townsfolk had heard the accounts of his preaching and miracles that he had performed in
other parts of the region (verse 2). Perhaps feeling a bit of contempt for his humble
beginnings, and envy at this small-town product returning with such an obvious following
(verses 1-3), they “took offense at him” (or, as some translations render it, “stumbled” or were
“scandalized” by him).

~ Jesus likens their response to that afforded the Old Testament prophets, who were also often
held in contempt and persecuted by their own people (v 4; Matt. 5:11-12; Heb. 11:32-38).

~ In an ironic contrast, whereas in last week’s reading we saw two examples of faith in Jesus by
those whom had only heard of him (Mark 5:21-43), this reading concerns the lack of faith by
those who have known him and his family all his life.

~ (Verse 3 is often cited in an attempt to “prove” that the Blessed Virgin Mary had other children.
However, it must be remembered that in Semitic usage, “brother” had a much broader
meaning than our use of the word—it was often used to describe relatives of all sorts,
including cousins, nephews and uncles. In addition, we know that “James and Joses” are the
sons of another Mary [Mary of Clophas; John 19:25], and that the Judas mentioned was the
son of a certain James [Luke 6:16]. See CCC 499-507).
[courtesy of Vince Contreras--Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics]


"We are convinced beyond doubt that the truths of faith cannot deceive us; yet we cannot seem to bring ourselves to trust in them. It is easier for us to trust in human reasons and the deceiving appearances of the world. This, precisely, is the reason for our poor progress in virtue and in all that pertains to God's glory."  ~ St. Vincent de Paul

Thanks!

Great work!!!