If we refuse to have faith? Or reject our Lord and God then we have to live with the consequences. For He in His great love for us, have given us free Will to either love and serve Him or to reject Him and live our lives separated from Him. And even though it pains Him to see us suffer so He honours the choice we make.
Why not instead allow God our loving Father to fill us with His love and blessings? Even when we need correction for the error of our ways, He does so lovingly to raise us up to greater heights. Through Him our faith and love grows not just for Him but for one another. And the depth of that love is the measure by which we tolerate the faults and weaknesses in others. We learn to see one another through the eyes of God.
Heavenly almighty God, thank you for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ. May we always remain His faithful disciples to love and serve You. Amen
First reading
Hebrews 12:4-7,11-15
In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death.
Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness. So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again.
Always be wanting peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one can ever see the Lord. Be careful that no one is deprived of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness should begin to grow and make trouble; this can poison a whole community.
Gospel
Mark 6:1-6
Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
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