Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15 / Mark 6:1-6
It is said that "home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in" (Robert Frost).
In many sense, that is true, that no matter what, when you go home, that is home and no other word resonates that deeply in our hearts.
Yet, there are also a number of homes that are like a "basket of crabs"; there is no need to put a lid on it because the crabs keep pulling one another down.
In the gospel, we heard that Jesus went back to His hometown but there His own people scrutinized Him and in the end, they did not accept Him.
In His own words, Jesus even said that "a prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house".
Which makes us reflect on what is the environment and the spiritual atmosphere in our own homes.
The 1st reading gives us the spiritual foundations and directions of a Christian community, but that can also be applicable in our own homes.
It said: 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.
Certainly, what is applicable to the community is also likewise for the family and for the home.
Let us pray for peace in our homes and in our families so that we will grow in holiness and radiate the presence of God. May God's love be seen in our homes and may God be always present in our homes.