In the Gospel account this week we hear how Jesus began to teach and speak in the Synagogue in Nazareth. He had returned home, perhaps to some disbelief that this young man, son of Joseph the carpenter, had come to such prominence. They couldn’t believe that He was teaching with authority and claiming to have healed others. The crowd were so outraged by this they dragged Jesus to the top of a cliff edge to throw Him off but in all the commotion He managed to escape. Clearly a dramatic account of Jesus’ homecoming but what can we take from this?
At times it can be difficult for us to see people for who they are. This may be particularly true for people we have known for a long time as the reality is that we all change, grow and develop. Sometimes we may see someone defined by an image from the past – this can be especially true as a parent or teacher. This can be a challenge to try and recognise, embrace and celebrate how people can change for the better.
Jesus, as He started his public ministry, had to embrace the ‘plan’ for his life. All of us have the opportunity to discern and reflect on God’s call for us. At times it can take some time to recognise and define this for ourselves. For me this journey in itself makes life more interesting. We can clearly all have more than one calling – as a parent, sibling, son, daughter, husband, wife or teacher. The challenge is to reflect on this and simply ask ourselves ‘what can I do to be the best version of myself in this part of my life?’.
This week we have also celebrated the feast of St John Bosco. He came from humble beginnings but lived his life dedicated to others, especially the poor and young in society.
Without confidence and love, there can be no true education. If you want to be loved… you must love yourselves, and make your children feel that you love them.
St John Bosco
We are proud to be part of a Catholic family of schools within the Bosco Catholic Education Trust and have him as our patron. We have always lived out our Catholic ethos at St Paul’s looking to make each person feel known and loved. Ultimately when we are making decisions and reflecting on how to act we need to simply remember to act with loving kindness towards one another.
- What can we do to take time to see, and accept, those around us for who they truly are?
- How can we spend time each day simply asking ourselves to become the best versions of ourselves in different areas of our lives?
- Have you spent time recently thinking about the direction life is going or God’s plan for each of us?
- What can we learn from the example of St John Bosco and his ministry to young people? Can we act with loving kindness in all we do?
So put simply as St Paul says we need to put at the centre of our lives faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.
God bless.
stpaulslearning 