Where Did This Come From?

A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Mark
     Jesus departed from there and came to his      native place, accompanied by his disciples. 
     When the sabbath came he began to teach      in the synagogue,
     and many who heard him were astonished. 
     They said, “Where did this man get all this? 
     What kind of wisdom has been given him? 
     What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! 
     Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
     and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? 
     And are not his sisters here with us?” 
     And they took offense at him. 
     Jesus said to them,
     “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
     and among his own kin and in his own house.” 
     So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
     apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
     He was amazed at their lack of faith.


    “Where did this person get all of this?” 

     Whether in school, in the Boy Scouts, my time as an engineer, throughout the seminary, and now in parish life, this question is one I think from time to time. This thought usually occurs at moments when I am in true awe at what I have just heard and encountered; however, there are also moments when this question arises because I have judged a person too quickly and out of pride. It is in these latter moments that I know I am being presented with a path to choose: to let pride take over and fail to recognize what I have encountered or truly humble myself and embrace the moment by listening and learning.

     I see this encounter playing out as Jesus chooses to return home. Those in the synagogue are trying to choose whether to encounter this person they “know” with pride or humility. The moment is wrapped in tension. Pulling one way is pride questioning where Jesus, the son of a carpenter, suddenly attained this wisdom. Pulling the other way is their recognition of what He has done - “What mighty works are wrought by His hands!” In the end, they choose the path of selfish pride because they took offense at Him and stumbled.

     This is a common theme throughout the Bible. Jesus notes how a prophet is not without honor “except in his own country and among his own kin, and his own house.” The life of the prophets in the Old Testament and even up to St. John the Baptist were like this. The leaders and people of Israel often failed to listen to the warnings and advice of the prophets and they stumbled. The same occurred with Saints Peter and Paul, who the Church celebrates this week on June 29th. Peter, who was a fisherman, was probably questioned and looked down upon by those he had encounters with. Followers of Jesus probably wondered, “How could a fisherman speak and preach about the Lord and do these profound works?” For Paul, they would have probably asked, “How could one of the brightest minds of the Pharisees leave everything to follow Jesus, a man who claimed to be the Son of God and was killed like a common criminal?” Those who did choose to listen to them were forever changed and the fruits of their ministry can still be seen today.

     This week, you and I are presented with a challenge to look at our daily encounters with the people we encounter and with the Lord. For the people you will encounter, ask yourself do I just rely on past encounters and what you supposedly know when listening to them? For our Lord, do I truly believe who He is? Have I realized the amazing and profound things He has done in my life? In the end, it will require belief in Him, following the Father’s will, and having an openness of mind beyond what we think we know. 

About the Author: Fr. Matthew Graham was born and raised in Baton Rouge and attended St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church and School during the early years of his life. He attended Catholic High School and pursued a degree in chemical engineering from LSU. After five years of working for Jacobs Engineering Group, he answered God’s call to enter the seminary where he studied from 2009 to 2015. Fr. Matthew has held many assignments throughout the Diocese of Baton Rouge including serving as a seminarian at Our Lady of Peace and Immaculate Conception in Denham Springs; serving as a deacon at St. Aloysius and Our Lady of Mercy in Baton Rouge; parochial vicar at Christ the King at LSU; and pastor at St. Elizabeth in Paincourtville and St. Jules in Belle Rose. He currently serves as the pastor of Immaculate Conception in Denham Springs.
How do you like your coffee? I would prefer a hot cup of Earl Grey tea over coffee any day; however, I would drink coffee with some cream to be social.
Who is your favorite saint at the moment? St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia because of his devotion to forming people in his diocese and fostering their devotion to the Eucharist.
If you could eat dinner with anyone from history, other than Jesus, who would you eat dinner with? Winston Churchill. If anyone in the last century has encountered highs and lows, great failures and successes, it would be him. I believe he would be a fascinating person to dine with over a long meal.

Learn More About Red Stick Catholics


The Well is a weekly reflection series from Red Stick Catholics that was created to allow young adults from the Diocese of Baton Rouge to reveal how God is speaking to them through prayer and Scripture. Each reflection contains the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, a reflection written by a young adult from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and prompts for how to pray with the Gospel and reflection during the week. If you are interested in writing a reflection, please email Nicole at [email protected].