Today we hear of a series of rejections given to Jesus. It is not uncommon in our own time to see or read of people rejecting Jesus, although often they are not rejecting a true picture of our Lord but a parody. What I think may be of use is to reflect on the reaction of James and John: "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (Lk 9: 54) Sometimes I hear of people who experience judgment and anger when they come to a Catholic Mass. The regular parishioners do not have to say or do anything particularly "off" but they manage to communicate something which is the opposite of the "joy of the Gospel." Even worse they can go so far as to tell people off. This is often the case to do with the behavior of their children. Yet, the person doing the telling off is the same one who would wonder aloud why there were no young families or people in church! Notice that James and John use the expression "us" rather than "you." They think that they have the authority and power to call down the wrath of God. Jesus, I suspect, mocks this pretension by giving them the nickname "Boanerges - Sons of Thunder." (Mk 3: 17) Jesus response is, in fact, to tell them off. All of us who are regular and I would hope devout Mass attendees need to be alert to our hearts so that we are not poisoned by resentment against those who have yet to discover the beauty of the faith so as to practice it more regularly. The key is not to call down fire from heaven upon them but to communicate to them in all sorts of ways, especially through our hospitality, the love of Christ and the largeness of heart of our holy Mother the Church.
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