This week's Gospel was about Jesus proclaiming to those in the synagogue that the passage he had just read from Isaiah was fulfilled in him. He was the Messiah. The people gathered there would not believe, so they drove him out of town.
The pastor at the parish, where I attend mass, talked about the "Nazarene Syndrome." I won't remember word for word of what was said in his homily, so I hope I can capture the gist of it. He said that the people in Nazareth could not accept that God could be present through Jesus because they knew him as an ordinary person of their town. Many people today cannot accept that God is present in their ordinary lives. The reason is that these people do not believe that God can love them or that they are lovable.
The pastor offered four ways to inoculate against the "Nazarene Syndrome." Unfortunately, I only remember two. One way is to tell yourself each day that you are loved by God and that you are a lovable person. The second way is that each night give thanks to God for all the blessings of the day. It will help you recognize how much God loves you.
In a book that I am reading, The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything, the author says that we do not have to wait until things are settled in our lives, or until we thing we become better people for God to love us. God loves us right now, just as we are, and in whatever circumstances we are in.
Recognizing God's love will help you to be a person of love. His love with strengthen you through any situation and will draw you closer in relationship to God.
Take time to recognize God's love for you.
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