14th Sunday Year C

Isaiah 66:10-14
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12,17-20

How do I deal with rejection?

Without exception, all of us have been rejected some time in our life. Before we can discern on the appropriate response, we must first asked ourselves: Why did others reject us? Are their reasons objectively justified? The next question to ask is: How have I responded to the rejection? Have I allowed my disappointment to define me? Am I bitter or better? In other words, have I become inward looking and bitter? Or, have I used the occasion as an opportunity for growth and becoming better?

Before we can reflect on any of the above, we have to first examine our motive. Was it our pure intention to serve others and do good; or do we harbour self-serving and ulterior motives? The truth is, for many of us, our intentions are not totally pure. Hence, when we are rejected, the first thing we must do is to objectively self-reflect: Have I been rejected because of my self-serving agenda? If this is the case, then my first response must be in the self-improvement and purification of my intentions. Only when I have done that, can I discern the appropriate response to the party rejecting me.

In the Gospel this week, Jesus sent out the seventy disciples to spread the Good News; to prepare the towns for Jesus’ arrival: He “sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” (verse 1) In this way, the disciples’ motives were pure and oriented towards the welfare of the people. Hence, before the disciples went forth, Jesus prepared them for rejection this way: “But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.” (verse 10-12) In Jewish custom, the feet are literally and figuratively the lowest part of the body. Hence, for the disciples to not even allow the dust of town to attach to the lowest part of their body means that the disciples were in turn utterly rejecting those who rejected them.” In the omitted verse, Jesus said, “whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Lk 10:16) And Jesus did not stop there, he went on to equate such town to the Old Testament city of Sodom, a city so sinful that God destroyed it!

But even if our intentions are pure, we sometimes cannot help by letting rejection gets to us. For we are human after all! In this way, we allow the rejection to affect our future work, rendering us more hesitant and less enthusiastic in future encounters. For those of us who may feel this way, St Paul encourages us to make our quest less about ourselves, and more about the greater cause. In other words, we must learn to remove our ego from our work. In the Second Reading this week, St Paul wrote, “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” In no uncertain term, St Paul proclaimed, his work was centred on Jesus and the cross; it was never about St Paul himself! This is true even in our secular work. For example, at our workplaces, our work is about how our organisation can serve the public better; rather than being a self-serving ego-centric venture for ourselves. This was why in spite of his rejection, St Paul could only wish the people well: “peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” (verse 16)

In proclaiming truth and righteousness, it is sometimes necessary to say the uncomfortable things. However, in our modern age, it has become a cultural necessity that we respect the sensitivity of certain subject matters, even if we are proclaiming the truth and righteousness as taught by Jesus. For it is true that we should not utterly cast out someone who rejected the Gospel message on the first instance. May be the person needs time; or perhaps the current circumstances are simply not conducive. The First Reading presents a great example of this. Often, it is when we suffer the consequences of our actions that our hearts are finally softened. In the case of the Jews, they rejected God but only come their senses after they suffer the consequences of not having God in their lives. We hear God calling them back in the First Reading, “you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” (verse 12-13) For someone who has lost the way; and is genuinely seeking a way back to God, these are very comforting words indeed.

On the other hand, a person might have been given all the time, chances and graces to accept the truth but yet still rejects it. Under such circumstances, the shaking-off-the-dust treatment could be warranted. But, in potentially aliening ourselves from others and them from us in this way, we must remember, it is not always true that we are called to martyrdom and suffering. Indeed, we will never know for sure what the most appropriate response is! This is why before we hope to form others, we must first form ourselves. For it is through prayers, discernment and, most importantly, sharing the heart of Jesus, that we may respond in the most appropriate way in any given circumstances.

My brothers and sisters, let us invite Jesus to walk with us through our daily trials. Let us share His heart and grow through our trials. Amen.