OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! 

Jesus spoke very candidly about these cities just north of the Sea of Galilee. He had performed many miracles there, and yet nothing seemed to be changing. People remained closed to Jesus’ message. And what was his message? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

Jesus said that if the people of Sodom and Gomorrah—two notoriously wicked cities—had witnessed his miracles, they would have repented quickly. They would have seen his miracles as signs that God was visiting his people, and they would have turned back to the Lord and put away all the obstacles that sin presents. But since the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida didn’t repent, they missed out on God’s grace.

It may not be an attractive topic, but repentance is a vital part of our life in the Spirit. Without it, we would remain subject to the pride and self-centeredness that trapped our first parents—and with dire consequences.

If you find repentance hard, it may be due in part to your image of God. Do you imagine a stern overlord who metes out punishment with a firm, unflinching hand? Or do you think of a Father who longs to be reunited with his children? We should never avoid confessing our sins to him because we are afraid of his punishment. This isn’t the God that Jesus revealed. This isn’t the shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep, the father who waits eagerly for his prodigal son to come home, or the God who offered up his only Son so that we could be cleansed and purified.

Jesus’ words against Chorazin and Bethsaida are not the words of an angry God looking to punish the wayward. They are the words of a mournful God lamenting the path of self-destruction the people had chosen. They are the words of a passionate God pleading with his children, “Come back to me so that I can save you from the consequences of your sin!”

In prayer today, fix your eyes on God, your heavenly Father. Let his love free you from fear. Open your heart to him, and let him take away your sin.

“Father, I want to be set free!”

Isaiah 7:1-9
Psalm 48:2-8
Matthew 11:20-24