Sunday, February 3, 2019
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Saint Blase, Bishop and Martyr, or Saint Ansgar, Bishop – Optional Memorial
Dan Ia berkata, “Sesungguhnya, Aku berkata kepadamu, tidak ada nabi yang diterima di tempat asalnya sendiri.” Lukas 4:24
Sharing the Gospel with your family is not always as easy as sharing it with a stranger. Conversely, listening to the Gospel message from a family member is not always as easy as hearing it from someone else. Why is that?
It may be that familiarity with another, such as the familiarity we have with family members, can tempt us to lack a certain confidence in their convictions and in their Christian witness. Though this is certainly not true of every relationship we have, it can be the case with some. Children, at times, will not put as much confidence in the words of a parent as they may another. Siblings may not be as open to advice from each other as they are from other people.
Barangkali salah satu penyebabnya adalah kita sering kali jauh lebih kritis terhadap orang yang kita kenal dekat daripada terhadap orang yang tidak kita kenal. Kita mudah membiarkan pengalaman pribadi yang panjang menghalangi keterbukaan kita terhadap anggota keluarga. Hal ini terutama terjadi sehubungan dengan pengalaman negatif yang kita alami selama bertahun-tahun. Begitu sering kita menyimpan pengalaman negatif dan luka hati dari tahun ke tahun, lalu membiarkan pengalaman itu menjadi penyaring bagi segala sesuatu yang dikatakan atau dilakukan oleh seorang anggota keluarga.
This statement from Jesus, that “no prophet is accepted in his own native place,” should challenge us to make sure we do not fall into this tendency. We should do what we can to make sure that we do accept the prophetic witness shared with us from our own family members.
The best way to do this is to make sure that we regularly strive to purge any “baggage” we carry in those relationships. Very often, we carry the baggage of hurt, anger and resentment without even realizing it. We also easily focus in on the weaknesses of family members since we easily witness their weaknesses as a result of being close to them.
Renungkanlah hari ini keluarga Anda. Renungkanlah khususnya apakah Anda bersedia memandang melampaui kelemahan dan dosa mereka agar dapat melihat kebaikan Allah yang berkarya dalam hidup mereka. Ada banyak hal yang ingin Allah sampaikan kepada Anda melalui mereka. Pastikan Anda tidak menutup pintu itu dan bersedia menerima mereka sebagai pembawa pesan Injil.
Lord, I thank You for my family. I thank You for the gift that they have been in my life. Help me to daily show mercy and forgiveness to them as needed. Help me to daily be open to Your voice speaking through them. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saints of the Day – Saint Blase – Saint Ansgar
