Life-Changing Lessons: Rejection At Nazareth

If you never get a no, then you aren’t taking enough chances.

But the same areas of the brain become activated when we experience rejection as when we experience physical pain. This is why rejection hurts so much (neurologically speaking).

Patience under disappointment is one of the great lessons of comfort in our Gospel today, commonly referred to as “rejection at Nazareth.”

Keep in mind the Fifth Rule of St. Ignatius is: “In time of desolation never make a change in your life; but be firm in your resolution because, in consolation it is the good spirit who guides and counsels, so in desolation it is the bad spirit.” Our text today says that Jesus “passed through the midst of them and went away.” The pain of rejection and opposition do not stop Spirit-empowered ministry.

The Church, the Mystical Body, exists on this earth, and is called the Church militant, because its members struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil.

The hometown people’s sudden furiousness is diabolical.

The crowd probably intended to stone Jesus as a false teacher as per Deut. 13:10 and Acts 7:58.

Unbridled or uncontrolled emotions can inflame human beings to do horrible things. Attempted deicide!

Ephesians 6:16 says, “In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Spirit filled response—Jesus applied a traditional maxim to himself. "No prophet is accepted in his own native place." He gave emphasis to His remark by introducing it with: "Amen, I say to you." A lesson: When we read Scripture, we get instruction and guidance to help with a disappointment or rejection.

2). Besides being militant, a second lesson is to be aware of approval addiction.

Our First Reading says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you.” A call from the womb is unprecedented in the Old Testament, but the birth accounts of Moses, Samuel, and Samson imply a destiny from birth.

Our culture thinks that everything is just fine as long as you get to choose. The Catholic truth is that everything is fine if we use our understanding in order to arrive at our true good, otherwise you can choose against the plan of eternal happiness that God wills for us by unrepentant sin.

To guard against approval addiction is to ward off a spirit of worldliness— if a spirit of wordiness is behind the rejecting words or gesture consider that it was Jesus' humble circumstances of life that his hometown folk alleged as the reason for their rejection of Him as Messiah. Here they revealed that it was their own worldliness that blinded them, preventing them from being enlightened by the one chief lesson of the Hidden Life of Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth. His humble origin, home, and trade were so far removed from their worldly ideas of the future Messiah that they could not believe in Him.

The Lesson: The first reaction evoked by the preaching of the gospel is that ordinary human curiosity is aroused.

But 'message of grace' is the deeper and demanding significance that challenges us to a decision of faith in concrete circumstances and temptations.

In what ways have you seen the work of God continue in spite of opposition and obstacles?

3). A final lesson-learned from rejection at Nazareth is to double-up all our efforts in penance, mortification and prayer—

There should have been a warm welcome and ready acceptance of Jesus visiting his home town. Why wasn’t there? There is an old adage that could be applied: "the nearest the Church, the farthest from God," which is based on the observation that sometimes those living nearest the Church seem to be the least affected by its religion.

e.g. A cradle Catholic. Or, for many of us who are most involved in parish life or administration or in a prayer group as a leader, organizer, or participant, it is critically and constantly important to double-up on our prayers; visit the Blessed Sacrament; receive the Sacrament of confession, do penance and mortification; help the poor.

Part of the reason the locals got restless was that Jesus cited two positive examples (from the Old Testament) about foreigners in desperate circumstances who received a miracle through the intercession of the Prophets Elijah and Elisha.

Familiarity can deaden our susceptibilities. We can even be so familiar with the things of our faith, like the Mass or even to one’s spouse or family members or co-workers that we begin to feel entitled and regress dangerously in the spiritual life; in faith and morals, and in personal boundaries.

We got to pretend, to act “as if” we are that widow during the severe famine over the entire land, and God sends the Prophet Elijah to help.