You look at this passage and you say to yourself: “Those people really missed a golden opportunity! What were they thinking?”
It’s a funny thing, isn’t it? Even as we say things like this, we can all recall times when we have inadvertently treated Jesus the same way. An old saying tells us that “familiarity breeds contempt.” But when it comes to our relationship with Jesus, it may be more accurate to say that familiarity breeds complacency.
For example, we can get into such a routine in the way we celebrate Mass that we find ourselves in a bit of a rut on Sundays. We can lose some of the awe and the gratitude that are meant to be at the heart of every Eucharist simply because we are so familiar with it. On one hand, this is only natural. It happens in many other areas of our lives. Think of the way your job has felt stale, for instance, or the way you and your spouse may have lost the spark of your love at different points. The key is to recognize when it has begun to happen, and to try to “shake things up” a bit.
Here’s one strategy to break out of complacency. During the Liturgy of the Word, ask Jesus to make just one or two sentences from one of the readings jump out at you. Then quietly think about those words during the remainder of the Mass. Imagine Jesus himself speaking them to you and explaining them to you.
Or maybe you can pay extra attention to the newly translated Eucharistic Prayer. Make the words of praise and petition your own. Using your imagination, picture yourself and your whole parish kneeling down before God’s throne as these words are being proclaimed. What is the expression on the Father’s face? What are the angels doing? What emotions are welling up in your heart?
One more thing: Trust Jesus to keep up his end of the bargain. He wanted to do big things in Nazareth. He wanted to heal people and reveal his Father’s love! He wants to do that for you today as well. So take him up on it! Open your heart, and see what happens.
“Jesus, may you never become too familiar to me. I welcome you into my life today with joy and anticipation of all you want to do in me.”
Jeremiah 26:1-9 Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14