The Holy Gospel according to Luke (10:13-16)
Jesus said to them “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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: Yesterday’s Gospel was about Jesus sending out his disciples in pairs to prepare the way for him. The disciples were to give testimony of their experience with Jesus and how he changed their lives. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is calling out Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Why did Jesus do this? These are 3 cities that are located north of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus, accompanied by his disciples, spent much of his public ministry in this area. He preached, taught and did several miracles in this area. Two of his well known miracles, the healing of the blind man and the feeding of the multitudes, occurred in this area. Nevertheless, because of the hardness of their hearts, many of the people in these cities did not believe and repent.
As Jesus tells us in this Gospel, “Whoever listens to you listens to me.” As disciples of Jesus, he sends us out to continue his mission of sharing the Good News. The Lord speaks to others through us, by our words and deeds. Two days ago, we remembered St. Francis of Assisi. Because of the way he lived his life, many came to know Jesus.
As human beings, God gave us the gift of freedom. We are free to choose to accept our role as a disciples, or not. So are those to whom we are called to share our stories about how Jesus has changed our lives. They are also free to choose to accept the message or not. Those who do not accept the message, are the people of today’s “
Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Who are those people we encounter today? They may be family members or friends. Just as God loves us unconditionally, God loves them the same.
We are called to be faithful messengers and disciples, to continue our mission to share our faith, the Good News of Jesus. We are to “Preach the Gospel always and if necessary, use words.”
Action for the Day: Our Lord does not give up on us. He does not give up on those who do not accept his message. Pray for God’s grace to help us be disciples of the Lord, to share the Gospel message with love, especially to those from “Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum.”
