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 nether world.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.
— Matthew 11:20-24
The peace of the Lord be with you. A reading like the one we have today from Matthew makes me very grateful for teachers and commentators on the Scriptures. I knew Jesus was trying to teach me something about judgment, but I really couldn’t grasp what he was trying to get at. Bishop Barron, in his reflection on the Gospel today, indicates that Jesus is talking about judgment in the terms of when he comes — when God judges it will be clear about what is good and what is evil, what is truthful and what is false.
Currently we live in a state where there is a lot of confusion about what is true — a lot of blending of half truths, and these things not only create confusion, but they also create greater division and tension. We get misled.
While it is never comfortable to face the fact that I have been seeing something in the wrong way, God’s truth is designed to set me — to set us free — to give us life and to have life more abundantly.
Dear Heavenly Father, help me to accept my limitations and to recognize my ignorance. Help me to become teachable that I may bathe in your wisdom, and that my soul may be healed. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.