FIRST READING
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 netherworld.
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.”
REFLECTIONS:
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 loving-kindness, justice and holiness. Do you receive his word with
faith and obedience or with doubt and indifference?
"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
fulfilment of your holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Prayer
of Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226)
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