“And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.” Luke 4:28-30
It had been six months since the last time I had seen Jesus. I kept hearing many things about all the miracles that He was performing and all the people that He was healing. I prayed daily for Him and for His protection.
One day, late in the afternoon on a Friday, I was sitting by the window, when I saw Him coming up the hill. I thought it was a vision. I could not believe that He was there for real. But then I heard His voice: “Mother!!!”
I ran outside, and we hugged each other tightly. We had never been apart for such a long time. I wanted that hug to last forever.
“What are You doing here?” I asked Him.
“I missed You, Mother.” He said. “The disciples also missed their families so we are taking a small break. We will spend this Sabbath with our families.”
“I have heard about the miracles that You have been performing.”
“Yes, Mother, but it’s not the miracles what’s important, it’s the conversion of hearts that are taking place. A lot of people are hearing about God for the first time. My Father is asking me to bring the Good News to Jews and Gentiles alike. His Love is for everyone. This is a mission of Love.”
We stayed up talking until late at night. I knew that I only had a few hours with Him so I wanted to make them count. I did not want to waste a single minute with sleep, just what was necessary. Before we said good-night, we said our evening prayers together.
The next day, we went to the synagogue together for the Sabbath. Our neighbors were all surprised to see Him when we entered the synagogue together, but even more surprised when He got up to read. “The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.’ And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” (1)
I expected the worst, but I looked around me, and to my surprise, everyone looked happy and amazed at “the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’” (2)
Jesus continued talking. “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ And He said, ‘Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.’” (3)
After He pronounced these words, I could cut the silence around me with a knife. I looked around me and the people looked like they had turned into stone. And then all of a sudden, everyone seemed to get up all at once, and I felt like I was being pushed by a mob. It was as if a violent hurricane had overcome the multitude. “All the people in the synagogue were filled with rage.” (4) They grabbed Jesus, and in the midst of screams and curses, they pushed Him out of the synagogue. I was terrified.
I followed the mob with fear in my heart. Then all of a sudden, I felt someone grab my hand. I turned around and it was Salome. She hugged me, and together, we walked behind the people. They “drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built.” (5) I knew this cliff well because when Jesus was little, I used to tell Him to stay away from there because I was afraid that He would fall down the cliff. I realized that this is exactly what our neighbors wanted to do, “to throw Him down the cliff.” (5) I was terrified. I could not believe my eyes. These were my neighbors, many of them knew me and I knew them since birth, they had seen Jesus grow, others had been His childhood friends, and yet, they looked like wild horses gone crazy. “Let’s throw Him down the cliff,” they screamed. “Liar! You are a fraud!” They had every intention to push Him down the rocky hill, and it was just too much for me to see. I hugged Salome and I hid my face in her chest. She was also in shock at what was transpiring right in front of her eyes. Yes, she had her doubts about her nephew, but these people wanted to kill Him. It had gotten completely out of hand.
All of a sudden, the screams turned into surprised silence. “Mary,” I heard Salome say. When I looked, I saw Jesus “passing through their midst.” (6) He looked at me one last time, and “He went His way.” (6)
My neighbors, when they realized that Jesus had simply disappeared, turned against me. Salome stopped them: “Have you all gone crazy? What has Mary ever done to you?” They stopped and looked at me, still with anger in their eyes. But little by little, they went away. After all, Salome was right. I had never done anything other than try to be a good neighbor, love them, and help everyone out. After everyone left, Salome looked at me, and hugged me again. She walked with me back to my house, and stayed until late in the afternoon. We talked like we had not done in a very long time. It was as if all the months of separation had vanished in an instant, and I had my sister back.
Reflection:
Mary and Salome’s friendship suffered because Salome did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Do I have any friends that I have not spoken to in a very long time because of some misunderstanding or hurt in the past? In the blink of an eye, Mary and Salome reunite again, and all the months of separation vanish in an instant. What do I need to do to forgive my friend just like Mary forgave Salome?
Copyright © 2020 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
References:
- Luke 4:17-21
- Luke 4:22
- Luke 4:23-27
- Luke 4:28
- Luke 4:29
- Luke 4:30
Resources from the following books are being used on this journey:
1. The Mystical City of God: A Popular Abridgement of the Divine History and Live of the Virgin Mother of God by Venerable Mary of
Agreda
2. The World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God by Fulton J. Sheen
3. Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet
4. My Soul Magnifies the Lord: A Scriptural Journey with Mary by Jeanne Kun
All Bible references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise specified.
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