By David Peter csc –
Readings: Is7:1-9; Mt 11:20-24
The gospel of the day has an uncomfortable and challenging passage. We have heard of the Lord our God who is loving, welcoming, and generous. But in today’s passage we see Jesus expressing his anger saying ‘woe to you’. Because we too live like the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida forgetting our God and resisting repentance.
The expression of Jesus’s anger is because of his unconditional love for his people, like a father in the family who never desires the fall of his children but raises them in honour. It is the same with Jesus when he invites us to repent and live with him.
We receive numerous blessings from God each day, but often we fail to acknowledge them and transform them into deeds. The people of the past, who experienced God and failed to live a holy life, left us with the signs of the sin and punishment.
As children of God, we have seen and experienced wonders of God. Therefore, let our faith in God be strongly rooted. As we hear in the first reading, if we do not stand firm in faith, we shall not stand at all. Let us stand firm in faith and with a repentant heart, let us be prepared for the day of the judgement.