Today’s responsorial Psalm expresses all what God wants us, “Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.” (Ps. 69) Oftentimes, we rely much on ourselves and never appreciate the great movement of the Spirit telling us to turn to the Lord always. We are quick to reproach others, but we are never quick to realize that we should not only think of ourselves but for the greater good of everyone. Moses and Jesus reproached others, ultimately for the good of everyone, according to God’s design.
In the first reading today, we heard about the birth of Moses, how he was rescued and then when he grew up he reproached the Hebrews, consequently, his goodness turned against him because Pharaoh sought Moses to kill him. So, he fled from away and “stayed in the land of Midian.” Moses turned to God, and he was protected from all dangers.
The gospel today, Jesus also reproached those towns, Chorazin, and Bethsaida where Jesus performed mighty deeds. Jesus also warned his own town, Capernaum, where he spent time performing miracles. I was able to set foot in Capernaum when I went to Holy Land, a small place situated along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where he stayed for three years and cured sick people, like the servant’s maid, the mother in law of Peter, etc., however, these places are deserving of “woes”, because they saw miracles of the Lord, but the people’s hearts were far from being touched by His works of healing and call to conversion. Compared to Tyre, and Sidon, they heed the call for repentance, conversion, and unity. Jesus says, “It will be tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Repentance is to free us from our attachment to sinful ways and firmly listen to God, whose voice is calling us. We pray for our liberation from the bondage of sins and seek the freedom in Christ by uniting ourselves with God’s manifold grace in order to achieve what we need to do with trust and patience.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa