The Holy Great-Martyr Euphemia, the All-Famed.
Post-feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Saint with Six Stichera.
Galatians 2:21-3:7; Mark 6:1-7.
Read Mark 6:1-7
Jesus is like us in all things, except He is without sin (see Heb. 4:15). Being like us, He celebrated (Jn. 2:2), was tempted (Mt. 4:1), suffered hunger (Mt. 4:2), and experienced grief at the death of His friend (Jn. 11:35). Jesus was no stranger to the pain of rejection either. When He came to teach and minister in His own country, the people did not accept Him (Mk. 6:4-5) and even tried to throw Him off a cliff (Lk. 4:29)! After He healed the Gerasene demoniac by casting his demons into the swine, the people begged Jesus “to depart from their neighborhood” (Mk. 5:17). When Jesus was brought to trial before Pilate, the chief priests and officers cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” (Jn. 19:6).
Sometimes in life, we will experience the pain of rejection. Maybe we don’t get accepted to the school we applied to or the job we applied for. Maybe our pursuit of a romantic relationship or even a friendship with somebody gets turned down. Maybe we realize that people mistreat us or do not want us around because of our Christian beliefs or moral convictions. As Christians, this is something we need to accept, for “a servant is not greater than his master” (Jn. 13:16). Since Christ suffered rejection for the sake of the glory of God, we should expect to experience the same. Let us not care about winning the praise of men but rather always seek to please God.