In today's Gospel, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, and people were astonished at His wisdom and the miraculous deeds of which they had heard. Yet they did not accept Him and took offense because He was one of their own, a local boy. They didn't take Him seriously because they knew His family, and He was from the working class. Jesus said that a prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own people. He could not perform any mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.   
We might have the same experience as Jesus when we try to spread the faith. People might not take us seriously, or they may not accept what we say because they know who we are and from where we come. Sometimes, family members, close friends, and neighbors are the hardest people to evangelize. Nonetheless, we are called to do what we can to spread the Gospel. When Christ was not successful in His hometown, He went to the neighboring villages instead. He then summoned His apostles and sent them out, two by two, to evangelize. 
Evangelization continues to be a central task of every disciple of Jesus Christ. Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict have called on Christians to dedicate themselves to the "new evangelization," announcing once again the message of Christ to those who may have already heard it, but have wandered away. Archbishop Flynn has asked all Catholics in the Archdiocese to participate in the "evangelization initiative."
This Friday, July 14, the Church honors Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a powerful example of a great evangelizer from North America. Blessed Kateri was born near the town of Auriesville, New York, in 1656, the daughter of a Christian Algonquin mother and a non-Christian Mohawk Chief. She was only four years old when her parents died of smallpox. The disease also attacked Kateri and left her face disfigured.