Wrath of God

Today’s Gospel Text: "Woe to you, Chora'zin! woe to you, Beth-sa'ida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be more tolerable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Caper'na-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. 16 "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." Luke 10:13-16

Reflection: “God is love and he will not bring sinners to judgment, he is not as cruel as you think he is, he loves every one and hence will save everyone”

If anyone thinks of God in these terms then they have only to read this message of Jesus wherein he proclaims woes on the inhabitants of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum.

God indeed is love and his love cannot be taken for granted by one person in order to score over the other.

It is a self-centered way of looking at sin, as something personal and not affecting others.

Whatever sin we commit by breaking the divine law, as revealed in Scripture, we invite a curse on ourselves and also on our families and on the society or community in which we live in.

My individual sin affects all and may even have an effect on the generations to follow.

If we tolerate a serial killer in our midst and would not allow the law enforcing agency to act against such a one then we are inviting him to keep at it, even allowing our own lives to be in peril.

Why do whole cities and nations get destroyed by calamities? Why do sicknesses, pains and accidents thrive in certain places and situation?

Many a time it is due to the judgment of God on account of our sinfulness; for reasons best known to God. As for humans, it could be the nice people and nice neighbors who faced destruction.

In such interpretations we are not sitting in judgment, as some would accuse us  but rather it is a call to plead to God for mercy and reaching out to them in love as God would still want us to, so that the individual may not be lost for all eternity. 

Nevertheless, the call to believe in his assuring word remains: God indeed is our protector and no harm shall befall us unless he has allowed it. 

In such interpretations we are not sitting in judgment as some would accuse us of but rather a moment of pleading to God for mercy and reaching out to them in love as God would still want us to, so that the individual may not be lost for all eternity.

Prayer:  Father of mercy and love, save humanity from the impending wrath on account of their rejection of the Gospel truths.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Woe to You

Today’s Gospel Text: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. 26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Matt 23:23-26

Reflection: The contradictions of life often make me marvel; we do or say one thing and in reality practice just the opposite.

If you thought that only a housewife could be spending on traveling long distance in order to avail of a sale offer and ultimately spend much more than what she would spend elsewhere, then you are mistaken.

You could call yourself a Christian and yet not live your Christianity in obedience to his voice, nor understand the tenets of the faith you claim to adhere to.

Or you could be well versed in theology and scripture and yet may not understand the basics of the faith.

In the light of the above, we can now read the woe that Jesus speaks to the Scribes and the Pharisees and reflect and see how it applies to us: “hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”  (vs. 23, 24)

For example; we have may have thought of justice only from one single window, which has made us look at the horizontal angle and even in that we may have acted contradictory and confused.

We could participate at rallies and seminars on bringing about justice in society and yet practice injustice in our personal lives when dealing with others, especially those who are subordinate to us.

Thus in both respects we have practiced injustice by forgetting the priority of God.

The greatest injustice, which is the reason for all other injustices is that of not seeking the one true God  and Jesus Christ who proved himself as our savior by his passion, death and resurrection. 

To talk about Christian love and not to reach out with the gospel of Christ, and seeking to only proclaim gospel values, is nothing but a betrayal of Christ, which demands the ‘woe’ of Christ.  

Prayer: Lord, may I not come under your curse and instead mend my ways according to thy holy will, wisdom and purpose.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us