Fr Marco Lazzaron
wonder how the evangelical scene could be painted or depicted. I don’t have great drawing skills, but I have a great imagination. I imagine the joy of Jesus in returning to his homeland after having spent a few days in a pagan land which he reached amidst the difficulties of a storm.
As we read this passage, a psalm comes to mind when it says: “As he goes, he weeps, carrying the seed to be sown but when he returns, he comes with joy carrying his sheaves”. There is an air of joy, and therefore we could represent the first piece of our painting with bright colours.
Alas! Jesus clashes with the disbelief of his fellow countrymen. This is due to the gossip of his fellow citizens. Rather than being interested in knowing the message well, they are concerned about knowing who the character speaking to them is. How can a carpenter’s son speak in that way? “There is no worse deaf person than someone who doesn’t want to hear”, is a typical expression of our elders and which certainly fits perfectly with today’s Gospel. We could therefore see the second piece of our painting grey.
It is not dark, though, because Jesus, despite everything, manages to perform some miracles. The Lord passed among his people, but they were unable to understand his mission. It happens to the inhabitants of Galilee as they don’t want to hear Jesus and they do so with their speeches which lead to them not listening to the message of salvation.
However, God’s plan must go forward despite everything, and Jesus moves in the nearby villages. The painting then continues with the bright colors of the announcement.
Spontaneous questions arise for us too: Are we still fascinated by the message of the Gospel, or do we let it slip into the trivialities of our judgments? Do we live in gossip, or do we let ourselves be captured by the depth of the announcement? Despite the difficulties, are we able to not hold back in communicating the Gospel?
Questions that require sincere answers to strengthen us in the face of the trials that the experience of faith entails.