May 1, 2018

Gospel: Mt 13:54-58
He went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did he get this wisdom and these special powers? Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary his mother and aren’t James, Joseph, Simon and Judas his brothers? Aren’t all his sisters living here? Where did he get all these things?” And so they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is his hometown and in his own family.” And he did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Reflections
Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? A carpenter in Jesus’ time worked with wood and stone. Joseph would not only have constructed and sold wooden furnishings, but would also have replaced the thatched roofing of houses and built homes made of stone, plastering them with clay. Possibly Joseph, too, worked as a contractual carpenter in the majestic city of Sepphoris, the capital of Galilee, five kilometers away from Nazareth. Eventually, Jesus apprenticed under Joseph. Eventually, after Joseph passed away, Jesus would have provided for his widowed mother Mary by laboring with his hands. St. Joseph the Worker, teach us the dignity of human labor.

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