Blessed is he who is not scandalized by me: Commentary Fr. Jorge Miró

Father Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the Gospel of this Sunday, July 7, 2024, titled “Blessed is he who is not scandalized by me.”

***

The Word of God that we proclaim today presents us with God who speaks through prophets to an unbelieving and rebellious people.

In the Gospel, we see Jesus visiting his town, Nazareth. On Saturday, like a good Jew, Jesus goes to the synagogue and begins to teach. But his teaching is scandalous to them. His countrymen have doubts about him. They cannot understand that Jesus is the Messiah, since they remain in the simple external appearance.

And this same thing can happen to you today. For this reason, Jesus will say in the Gospel, Blessed is he who is not scandalized by me (Lk 7, 23).

The Gospel invites us to faith, not to distrust and despise Jesus, because sometimes appearances make us doubt or be scandalized by his Word.

It is convenient that you begin to know through what specific “appearances” the devil tries to “steal” your faith, tries to scandalize you, to cool your trust in God, to paralyze your following of Christ, to take you out of the Church…

Maybe I’ll try, discrediting the messenger. He makes you focus on the sins of the messenger to destroy the message. The important thing is not the messenger, but the Good News that he brings you from the Lord.

Or, perhaps, making you doubt that the Gospel is good news. It puts you in judgment, in murmuring against the Word, perhaps because you don’t quite understand it. Do not panic! The Gospel is always Good News. If you do not understand it, if you doubt, call on the Holy Spirit and keep the Word in your heart. Welcome it!

It may also want to make you doubt the community. The Church will always be a community of sinners. But sinners loved by God in their weakness and saved by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whoever listens to you, listens to me; and whoever rejects you rejects me (Lk 10, 16).

Or be scandalized by the mystery of the cross. Only the Holy Spirit gives man the power to overcome the scandal of the cross and to recognize in it the supreme wisdom, which is a scandal for the Jews and madness for the pagans (1 Cor 1:23). Human wisdom cannot understand that God wants to save the world through a humiliated and crucified Christ.

Don’t let your faith be stolen! Defend her! Invoke the Holy Spirit!

Saint Paul, through his own experience, says how God is present in human weakness to manifest his power and love. Insistently, he has asked God to deliver him from the “sting.” But God knows best what is best for us. Humiliation keeps pride and arrogance at bay. His grace is enough for us. In our weakness the power of God is shown, and that success is due only to Him. That is why God chooses weak instruments.

And, in the face of a world that seeks greatness, human efficiency, the grandeur of means, the Lord teaches us today that strength is achieved in weakness, that He chooses weak people as His servants, so that it can be seen that God is the one who carries history and men are mere instruments of his. So that it can be seen that this work is from God.

Come Holy Spirit! (cf. Luke 11, 13).