July 7, 2024: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Just as I visited my grandfather's hometown of Ottumwa, IA this weekend, Jesus returned to His hometown in the Gospel reading.  His own people were so stuck in their ideas of Who He was that they couldn't appreciate the way He spoke and made God present to them.

After many prophets spoke to God's people, He now speaks to us in His fullness in Jesus Christ.  In hardness of heart, we can close ourselves to what God says to us, even that we're not good enough for God to be present with us.

It is by the power of faith that we see how God is truly present to us.  We have an opportunity, because Christ is here, to open ourselves to God. Even in our weaknesses, God is at work, bringing us alive, as He speaks the Word that transforms us.