Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 16, 2019
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.””
Today’s Gospel passage challenges the perception that Jesus was a kind of pacifist hippie who consistently called people to be loving without challenging their behavior. We are confronted in this text by a Jesus who thunders at those who ignore or reject his message. Jesus’ discomfiting prophetic denunciations were not only addressed two millennia ago to the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum but to us, too. If we allow ourselves to stand under Jesus’ judgment, we see how radically we need to change to live as his followers.
Three words especially spoke to me. The first is the lamentation Jesus pronounces over the unrepentant cities: ouai (Mt 11:21). Ouai is a vocalization of extreme sorrow, the wail that keening women would make over their dead. Jesus’ use of this anguished cry shows the depth of Jesus’ humanity and how my own lack of repentance wounds him.
The second word describes the behavior that the unrepentant cities are called to: metanoia (Mt 11:20, 21). In Jesus’ preaching, metanoia is the key response to hearing the good news: it means a repudiation of past constructions of reality and an embrace of God’s in-breaking reign. If I am honest with myself, I realize how far I am from this radical conversion or metanoia.
The third we often translate as “miracle,” but actually means “a work of power” (Mt 11:20, 21, 23): dynamis. The fact that Jesus manifests divine power to transform this broken world—and my own self—gives me hope and confidence when I am tempted to despair.
These bracing words invite me to allow the power of God’s grace to shatter the stoniness of my heart, to wail over the evil I have done, and to trust the good news that I, sinner though I am, am cherished and called.
Prayer
Forgiving God, help us to repent of our sins and failings, and renew our lives by our imitation of you Son. May we be always grateful for the mighty deeds you have done for us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is a title given to Mary as patron of the Carmelite religious community of contemplative monks, nuns, and priests.
The original Carmelites were hermits living on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land in the late 12th century. They chose Mt. Carmel because it is the place where the Old Testament prophet Elijah defended the purity of Israel’s faith. The monks built a chapel on the mount and dedicated it to “Our Lady of the place.”
The Carmelites celebrated a special feast on July 16 to mark the day that Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock and gave him the scapular. By the 1700s, this July 16 feast was being celebrated everywhere in the Church.
St. Simon Stock was an early Carmelite who received a vision of Mary on this date in 1251 in which she gave him the brown scapular. The scapular comes from a two-sided apron that monks wear while they work—a skinny poncho of sorts. In the vision, Mary handed Simon a scapular and told him that she would protect whoever wore it. The garment became part of the Carmelite habit and appears in many other religious habits as well.
Many people wear a small version of the scapular under their shirts, which looks like two brown, square pieces of cloth that hang on the breast and back, connected by strings around one’s neck. It is worn as a devotional practice—as a way to call to mind Mary’s motherly protection and to ask for her prayerful assistance.
Some of the Church’s greatest saints were Carmelites, including St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and St. Therese of Lisieux, all of whom are doctors of the Church.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, you gave us the scapular, and you protect and care for us as a mother—pray for us!
Image Credit: Image by Notre Dame alumnus Matthew Alderman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of his art. Used here with permission.