Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 390
Reading 1
Isaiah 7:1-9
In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,
Rezin, king of Aram,
and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah,
went up to attack Jerusalem,
but they were not able to conquer it.
When word came to the house of David that Aram
was encamped in Ephraim,
the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,
as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.
Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz,
you and your son Shear-jashub,
at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,
on the highway of the fuller’s field, and say to him:
Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear;
let not your courage fail
before these two stumps of smoldering brands
the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans,
and of the son Remaliah,
because of the mischief that
Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah,
plots against you, saying,
“Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force,
and appoint the son of Tabeel king there.”
Thus says the LORD:
This shall not stand, it shall not be!
Damascus is the capital of Aram,
and Rezin is the head of Damascus;
Samaria is the capital of Ephraim,
and Remaliah’s son the head of Samaria.
But within sixty years and five,
Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation.
Unless your faith is firm
you shall not be firm!
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 48:2-3a, 3b-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (see 9d) God upholds his city for ever.
Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,”
is the city of the great King.
God is with her castles;
renowned is he as a stronghold.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
For lo! the kings assemble,
they come on together;
They also see, and at once are stunned,
terrified, routed.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Quaking seizes them there;
anguish, like a woman’s in labor,
As though a wind from the east
were shattering ships of Tarshish.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Alleluia
Psalm 95:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 11:20-24
Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum:
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the nether world.
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Becoming Lukewarm
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.” Matthew 11:21–22
Chorazin and Bethsaida were Jewish towns that Jesus visited frequently to preach and to perform many “mighty deeds.” They were located just north of His city of residence, Capernaum. Tyre and Sidon were pagan coastal cities northeast of Chorazin and Bethsaida, in modern-day Lebanon, and were towns known for their immoral living. Though Jesus did not spend much time in those cities, He did visit them at times. During Jesus’ first recorded visit there, recall His encounter with the Syrophoenician woman who begged Him to heal her daughter (Matthew 15:21–28). The Gospel passage quoted above took place prior to Jesus making that journey.
Why was Jesus so harsh toward the towns He spent so much of His time in. Why did He rebuke Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum? To answer this, it’s important to remember that Jesus spent most of His time preaching to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In other words, His primary mission during His public ministry was to share the Gospel with those who were descendants of Abraham and had been entrusted with the Law of Moses, the teachings of the prophets and the liturgical rites. For that reason, Jesus not only preached with perfection to these people, He also did miracle after miracle. And though there were many who did believe in Him and became His disciples, there were many others who were indifferent or who flatly refused to believe in Him.
Today, Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum could be seen as symbols of those Catholics who were born and raised in the faith and were given good formation by their parents and others. Many parents whose children have gone astray from the faith wonder what they did wrong. But the truth is that even Jesus Himself was rejected, despite His perfect preaching, perfect charity and undeniable miracles. And the same happens today. There are many who, despite being raised within the holy faith given to us by Christ Himself, reject that faith and turn a blind eye to the Gospel and the Church.
Jesus’ rebuke of those towns should echo today in the minds of those who, despite being given so much in regard to a good upbringing, have rejected God. Of course, that rejection is not always absolute and total. More often, it is a rejection in degrees. First, the rejection comes in the form of missing Mass. Then moral compromises. Then a lack of faith. And eventually confusion, doubt and a complete loss of faith sets in.
If you are one who has started down the road of becoming more and more lukewarm in your faith, then the rebuke of these towns by Jesus should be understood to also be directed at you in love. “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required…” (Luke 28:48). Therefore, to those who have been taught the faith well, much is expected. And when we fail to live up to that which is demanded of us by God out of love, a holy rebuke is exactly what we need.
Reflect, today, upon whether the rebuke Jesus issues toward these towns is also issued toward you. Have you been blessed with a good formation in the faith? If so, have you done all you can to help nourish that faith and grow in your love of God? Or have you allowed your faith to dim, to become lukewarm and to begin to wither and die? If you have been given much, have been raised in the faith and have been privileged with good examples in your life, then know God expects much of you. Answer that high calling that is given to you and respond to God with all your heart.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
THE SPIRIT OF FEARLESSNESS
“Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear.” —Isaiah 7:4
King Ahaz was about to be attacked by two formidable armies. Consequently, “the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind” (Is 7:2). Anticipating the death, destruction, and devastation of war, Ahaz was “shaking like a leaf.”
Pope St. John Paul II discerned that many of us are like King Ahaz. We are deathly afraid. We may not admit it or be fully aware of it, but fear reigns in the lives of so many. Fear paralyzes many of us and prevents us from living our vocations, evangelizing, changing our lifestyles, tithing and almsgiving, standing up for life, building Christian community, etc.
To be freed from fear, we must have faith (Is 7:9; Mk 5:36). Faith is both a gift (1 Cor 12:9) and the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22).
To be freed from fear of man, we need the fear of the Lord (Sir 34:14; cf Prv 9:10). The fear of the Lord is a gift of the Holy Spirit (Is 11:2ff).
To be freed from fear, we must “come to know and to believe in the love God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16). In this way, we displace fear (1 Jn 4:18). Love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22).
When the Spirit comes, fear goes. “You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, ‘Abba!’ (that is, ‘Father’). The Spirit Himself gives witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rm 8:15-16). Come, Holy Spirit!
Prayer: Father, give me a new Pentecost of freedom and fearlessness.
Promise: “Great is the Lord and wholly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, fairest of heights, is the joy of all the earth.” —Ps 48:2-3
Praise: Praise You, Lord, for the Carmelite priests and sisters in our world whose order sprang from hermits living on Mt. Carmel in northern Israel.
Reflection 3
The Servants of the Word
Will You Be Exalted to Heaven?
If Jesus were to visit your community today, what would he say? Would he issue a warning like the one he gave to Chorazin and Bethsaida? And how would you respond? Wherever Jesus went he did mighty works to show the people how much God had for them. Chorazin and Bethsaida had been blessed with the visitation of God. They heard the good news and experienced the wonderful works which Jesus did for them. Why was Jesus upset with these communities? The word woe can mean misfortune, calamity, distress, sorrow, sadness, misery, grief, or wretchedness. It is as much an expression of sorrowful pity and grief as it is of dismay over the calamity and destruction which comes as a result of human folly, sin, and ignorance.
Why does Jesus lament and issue a stern warning? The people who heard the Gospel here very likely responded with indifference. Jesus upbraids them for doing nothing! Repentance demands change - a change of heart and way of life. God's word is life-giving and it saves us from destruction - the destruction of heart, mind, and soul as well as body. Jesus' anger is directed toward sin and everything which hinders us from doing the will of God. In love he calls us to walk in his way of truth and freedom, grace and mercy, justice and holiness. Do you receive his word with faith and obedience or with doubt and indifference?
Prayers
My passionate Jesus, You poured out Your heart and soul through Your preaching to the people of Israel. Although many accepted You, many others rejected You. I thank You for the privilege I have been given to hear Your holy Word preached to me. Help me to respond to You with all my heart so that I will be counted among those who listen and believe. Jesus, I trust in You.
Most High and glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our hearts and give us a true faith, a certain hope and a perfect love. Give us a sense of the divine and knowledge of yourself, so that we may do everything in fulfillment of your holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Prayer of Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226)
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 197: I Thirst
“I thirst.” These two simple words have so much meaning. They were spoken by our Lord from the Cross. A soldier tried to offer some comfort by offering Him a sponge soaked in wine-vinegar to satiate Him. The wine turned to vinegar is a symbol of the soul turned sour from sin. After taking this sour wine Jesus cried, “It is finished!” And then He died. What does Jesus thirst for? He thirsts for you, a sinner. He does not turn away from you on account of your sins and the effect that they have had on your soul, He thirsts for you anyway. He thirsts for your love. He wants you to satiate His thirst by loving Him as you are despite your sins. Pay no attention to foulness of your soul as a result of your sins. Our Lord was satisfied with the wine turned vinegar so as to say that He is satisfied with you coming to Him in your fallen condition (See Diary #1032).
Reflect upon the image of the Crucifixion. Ponder Jesus hanging there, broken and suffering. In this state of great humiliation, Jesus cries out to you to bring comfort to His suffering. He seeks your love. Will you give it to Him? Can you offer Him yourself so as to enable Him to cry out that it is finished? It is finished when you love Him and give your life to Him. Go to our Lord this day in prayer, and tell Him you love Him and desire to spend this life with Him and on through eternity. In that act, you will quench His thirst.
Lord, I thank You for thirsting for me in the midst of Your own suffering and pain. Thank You for giving Your life to me, without reserve, as You hung upon the Cross. Your love is the only thing that will ultimately satiate my thirsting soul. Give me the grace I need to come to You, in my brokenness and sin, so as to offer You all that I have for Your thirst. I love You, dear Lord, help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You.
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