Back To School

Seeing how leaving home is necessary to finding home

07/31/2020

Matthew 13:54-58 Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

You have no doubt heard the old saying “familiarity breeds contempt.” That means sometimes we are so close to someone all we see are their defects and defeats, their problems and peculiarities. We lose sight of all their abilities, accomplishments and attributes. And notice, too, inside the word “familiarity” is hidden the word “family.” And therefore, the people we are most prone to feel contempt for are those living under the same roof. They are too close for comfort.

Could this be one reason why young people go away to college, and the farther away they can get the better? It’s not just that they are “going away” to some great college, but it’s just as much they are “getting away” from the irritations at home, where familiarity has bred contempt. Isn’t this a main motivation for kids and parents alike to want school to start again. We have all been stuck with each other since mid-March, and we’re driving each other crazy.

In the gospel of Matthew today, Jesus’ great “Parabolic Discourse” ends with his rejection at Nazareth, his hometown. Why? Well, because “familiarity breeds contempt,” especially when you are dealing with your own family. Notice why the people take offense at Jesus. The townspeople say: “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?...Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us?”

In other words, Jesus’ message and miracles were too close for comfort. Like in so many families, no matter what stage of history they live in, all Jesus’ relatives could catch was his ordinariness and plainness, familiarity has blinded them to his greatness. Like countless college kids, Jesus, too, had to leave home so people would appreciate his greatness and glory. Now that’s not because Jesus needed that distance, but rather because the people did.

July 30 is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the great founder of the Society of Jesus, and the author of the spiritual classic called “Spiritual Exercises,” or more commonly “Ignatian Spirituality.” In 1539 Ignatius, together with Peter Faber and Francis Xavier, formed the religious order called the Society of Jesus, or “Jesuits” for short. Their goal was twofold: (1) establish colleges and universities for higher learning, and (2) be missionaries to the farthest corners of the globe. And, in a sense, St. Ignatius is the patron saint of college kids who feel a burning desire to get out of their home and go as far away as possible to college. It’s as if the Jesuits are saying: if you have to get out of the house, where familiarity breeds contempt, at least come to a Catholic college, where people will appreciate your greatness and glory.

The mother church of the Jesuits is located in Rome, and I visited it many times while I was in Rome. It’s baroque architecture is breath-taking. It is called the “Church of the Gesu” and “Gesu” is Italian for “Jesus.” St. Ignatius is buried at a side altar of the church, and opposite him on the other side of the church is St. Francis Xavier. But that side altar does not house the whole body of St. Francis, only his right arm. The rest of his body is buried in Goa, India, where he was a missionary.

Francis’ right arm is highly symbolic, though, because he used it to write innumerable letters back to Ignatius about his adventures and achievements in foreign lands. How God had done great things through him. How many college students use their right hands to call home or write emails or send texts back to their parents back home to tell their about their exploits and experiences in college! Sometimes you have to leave your old home before you can find your true home. And St. Ignatius of Loyola understood that better than most.

Folks, we stand on the threshold of new academic year, and everyone is anxious to go back to school: children and parents alike. Why? Well, we all feel acutely how “familiarity breeds contempt”; we are all getting under each other’s skin. But it’s a very uncertain year that looms ahead and many students may be stuck at home taking virtual classes online. Let us ask for the intercession of St. Ignatius of Loyola that this school year be a blessing for all; that it be safe and successful; that students discover their true greatness and glory. And as the Jesuits are fond of saying, this year be “Ad majorem Dei gloriam,” for the greater glory of God. Ignatius understood deeply that sometimes you have to leave your old home before you can find your true home.

Praised be Jesus Christ!