Reading 1
Zec 8:20-23
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
There shall yet come peoples,
the inhabitants of many cities;
and the inhabitants of one city shall approach those of another,
and say, "Come! let us go to implore the favor of the LORD;
and, "I too will go to seek the LORD."
Many peoples and strong nations shall come
to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem
and to implore the favor of the LORD.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
In those days ten men of every nationality,
speaking different tongues, shall take hold,
yes, take hold of every Jew by the edge of his garment and say,
"Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (Zec 8:23) God is with us.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
R. God is with us.
I tell of Egypt and Babylon
among those that know the LORD;
Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia:
"This man was born there."
And of Zion they shall say:
"One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD."
R. God is with us.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
"This man was born there."
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
"My home is within you."
R. God is with us.
Gospel
Lk 9:51-56
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
"Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?"
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.
Meditation: Luke 9:51-56
“Do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” (Luke 9:54)
There can be no doubt that religion and politics have fueled some of the most terrible conflicts in human history. Northern Ireland, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda—in each of these regions, ideological disagreements escalated into deadly violence. Participants on both sides claimed to be the “real” patriots, and some have even said that God was with them in their massacres. While some of the combatants may have been acting in self-defense, others used their understanding of the truth as an excuse for aggression.
A similar attitude comes through in this statement of James and John. They felt justified in seeking to punish the Samaritans because they knew that Jesus was from God. Elijah had called down fire on those who doubted him (2 Kings 2:10-12), so why couldn’t they? Besides, Samaritans had always been hostile to Israel, even claiming to be the “true” worshippers of Yahweh. Maybe they needed to learn a lesson! James and John apparently thought that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to conquer a kingdom, not to lay down his life for it.
Sometimes we can view other people through the wrong prism, too. This is especially easy to do when we believe that “our side” is in the right, and “their side” is wrong. They’re not welcoming the kingdom of God to our society, and they’re even acting against godly values. Perhaps in an excess of zeal, we start to label these people in our heads, and sometimes, even out loud. We can see them as enemies instead of ordinary people like ourselves.
So how can we free ourselves from this slanted view? Our best answer is to look to Jesus’ example. He could have trounced his enemies, but he chose to die for them instead. Likewise, we can ask God to change our hearts toward those who misunderstand us—and those we misunderstand. We can choose to bless instead of curse them (Romans 12:14). We can ask God to send his wisdom to their hearts as well as to our own. That’s how you start a spiritual revolution that will really make the world a better place!
“Lord, open my eyes to see your presence in everyone—even those I disagree with. Shower them with your blessings today, Father!”
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