I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday

"The chief thing is to take the burden on one’s shoulders. As you press forward, it soon shakes down and the load is evenly distributed." - St John Bosco

Gospel text (Lk 4,24-30):
Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
"Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away

No prophet is honored in his own country! We have the perfect excuse, the very best of justifications, for not aspiring to live a Christ-like life. These words —uttered by Jesus— have been for many of us —more than once— justification and excuse not to complicate our lives.

Knowing the status-quo would be resistant to the message of God’s truth, Saint Paul gives a wonderful example of perseverance: «And going into the synagogue, he spoke freely about three months, disputing and persuading concerning the kingdom of God» (Acts 19:8).

Are you sure this is not what Jesus meant for us to do as well?