THROUGH UNTRUE
Love is nourished by a sense of mystery and wonder. When two people fall in love, they are eager to discover new facets of each other’s personalities. They want to learn more about their life stories, abilities, and aspirations so they can offer support and encouragement. As their familiarity deepens, they discover each other’s flaws, quirks, and imperfections, challenging them to show mutual acceptance and forgiveness, thereby eliminating the need for pretense.
However, trouble begins when over-familiarity sets in. The initial thrill of discovery turns into a monotonous routine. Predictability replaces spontaneity. When two people know each other too well, they may become overly comfortable, and they begin to neglect small gestures of courtesy, respect, and appreciation, leading to feelings of being undervalued and taken for granted. This is why some married couples say, “Familiarity breeds contempt,” or worse, “Familiarity breeds attempt.”
This sentiment is echoed in the people of Nazareth’s reaction to Jesus, as narrated in today’s gospel reading. They reject Jesus because they think they know Him too well (Mark 6:1-6). They have placed Him in a box, labeled Him, and wanted Him to conform to their expectations. The gospel adds a sad note: “Jesus could not perform any miracles there” (Mark 6:5). When God becomes overly familiar, we put limits to what He can do.
We all desire an intimate knowledge of God. But we must not allow such knowledge to drain Him of His sacredness and transcendence. For instance, many Christians prefer informal worship styles, relaxed liturgies, and personalized expressions of faith. But in their desire to make God more accessible and relatable, they unwittingly water down the mysterious and sacred aspects of the divine.
In the Old Testament, people did not dare to mention God’s name for fear of disrespecting or misusing it. But today, many Christians casually call God, “Papa Jesus” or “Iyong nasa itaas.” Contemporary movies show actors pepper their dialogues with “Jesus Christ” to express surprise, disgust, and hostility.
There was a time when people attended Mass impeccably dressed. Today, many Catholics attend Sunday Mass in shorts, sandals, or very casual or skimpy attire, and almost all of them receive Holy Communion. The dwindling number of those who go to confession is a symptom of our over-familiarity with God. We no longer take seriously His commandments, convincing ourselves that He understands our weaknesses. Hooked on our vices and unwilling to repent and change for the better, we refuse to acknowledge the lethal effects of sin in our lives.
When we approach God with excessive casualness, we risk stripping away the reverence that His majesty and transcendence demand. If, in the beginning, we were awed by Him, now we are no longer amazed at how He makes Himself present. Praying becomes an obligatory routine or something we resort to when we find ourselves sick, helpless, and miserable.
We prefer watching television or surfing the net over reading the Bible. We think we have read and heard it all before, anyway. Our spirituality becomes superficial, focused on immediate emotional experiences rather than a deep understanding of God’s place in our lives.
Authentic faith allows God to confound our expectations. The ordinary miracles and unforeseen events in our lives are God’s way of defamiliarizing what we know about Him, inviting us into a deeper appreciation of His unspeakable mystery.