Monday of the 3rd week of Lent
Saint Frances of Rome
Gospel: Luke 4:24-30In today’s Gospel, Jesus faces rejection in His own hometown of Nazareth. The people know Him well; they have grown up with Him, and yet this very familiarity becomes an obstacle. Instead of helping them recognize the presence of God in their midst, it blinds them. They expect God to act only according to their own desires and expectations. When Jesus reveals that God’s grace is wider than their limits, they close their hearts. This Gospel invites us to examine how our familiarity with divine realities, Scripture, prayer, the sacraments, can either open our eyes or quietly harden them. Lent calls us to allow this familiarity to deepen our awareness of God’s living presence rather than reduce Him to what we want to see. Like Saint Frances of Rome, who discovered God in the ordinary responsibilities of daily life, we are invited to remain humble and attentive, ready to recognize the Lord even where we least expect Him. Let’s reflect: Lent is opening our eyes beyond our expectations to recognize God’s living presence in our midst.
Don Giorgio