Lectionary: 390
Reading 1
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.
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 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.”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: UNREAL
"Thus says the Lord: This shall not stand, it shall not be!" –Isaiah 7:7
Are you like King Ahaz? Are you unable to break out of the cycle of fretting and trembling over possibilities that never wind up taking place? Are you like the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida? Do you fail to break out of the comfort of mediocrity when Jesus is performing His wonders right in front of your face?
Jesus the Prophet is constantly working to spur us to conversion and greater faith. How frequently are we unmoved by His powerful prophetic word but totally dismayed by a rumor which might disrupt our health insurance, retirement, favorite TV program, or sports team? We spend days or weeks in turmoil before discovering that the rumored event didn't actually happen. Meanwhile, we missed out on the miracles of the Eucharist, God's prophetic messages, countless signs of His love, and other clear signs of God's grace. What a waste of the precious time God has given to us!
"Is the Lord to be thus repaid by you, O stupid and foolish people?" (Dt 32:6) People of God, let's stop living in a make-believe world. Let's "keep our eyes fixed on Jesus" (Heb 12:2) and "avoid worldly, idle talk" (2 Tm 2:16).
PRAYER: Father, forgive me for trembling instead of trusting, and focusing on rumors rather than reforming.
PROMISE: "Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!" –Is 7:9
PRAISE: St. Bonaventure, being yoked to his loving Savior, brought to many a deeper love for the way of life of his beloved St. Francis.
Be an inspiration, kindly Share.
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