No prophet is accepted in his own country

No prophet is accepted in his own country

21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"
23 He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.' "
24 And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown.
25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land;
26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.
27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."
28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage.
29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.
30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. (NRSV)

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

When the people of Nazareth heard me speak at the Synagogue, they were amazed. At first they approved my wisdom, but then they started asking questions about me.

Surely this is just the son of a carpenter, how can he speak with such wisdom, how can he be the man who has performed miracles if he is just an ordinary person from this town? How can he claim that he has the Spirit of God upon Him and that He can give sight to the blind, heal the sick, free those possessed by evil spirits and bring forth the Grace of God upon us?

I replied to them that no man is a prophet in his own land; that God preferred to bring healing to the pagans in the past instead of granting his favor to his chosen people. The reason is that they took the Kingdom of Heaven for granted and neglected the commandments of God.

After that, they decided to get rid of me, although I knew their plans and escaped from the menacing crowd.

In baptism, you are anointed with the Spirit of God and you become sons and daughters of the Most High. How come you don’t enjoy the privileges and gifts of the rightful inheritance that is yours? The reason is your lack of faith.

Ah, if you only gave credit to God, if you acknowledged with the appropriate reverence the gift that God has given you. You are temples of the Holy Spirit, God is with you, the Lord is One with you, His Spirit moves you to come to him and to know him, love him and serve him, to become One with him.

Stop underestimating yourselves, stop denying the power of the Spirit of God within you, stop alienating yourselves from God through sinfulness and lack of faith. Come closer, enter the temple of the Presence of God within you, accept that God has come to save you, that his flesh and blood is a part of you now and that you belong to Him.

I am calling everyone to accept my Holy Spirit as the power that will act in you, think in you and will in you. Surrender your lives to the action of God who wants to make you saints. Repent of your sins and forget who you are now, accept what I can make of you through my mercy, and you will be transformed. I accept you as you are; I desire your sanctification in the power of my burning Love.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary