Reflection for October 3 Friday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 10:13-16

Gospel: Luke 10:13-16

Jesus said to them, “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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  

But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

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Reflection:

Why is Jesus angry with the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida? Because they did not heed His call to repentance; they refused His offer of love and renewal for them. 

It is sometimes puzzling why we refuse to heed this call of Jesus when we have nothing to lose but everything to gain. For example, if we are living in sin right now and we decide to respond to Jesus’ call for renewal, a great burden would immediately be lifted from our shoulders. Yet so many of us still refuse to walk away from sin. Why? 

What does sin offer us that we cannot walk away from it? Does sin offer us heaven? Does sin offer us a quiet and contented life? Why do we cling to sin as if our lives hinge upon it, when in truth it offers us nothing good? Should we wait until something unfortunate happens before we finally listen? 

Let us all embrace a fresh start in our lives by refusing to commit any form of sin—even for just a few weeks or a month. Then let us compare our lives previously lived in sin with a life lived free from sin and guided by the light of Jesus. Surely, we would love this new life with Jesus far more than the old life burdened by sin. 

The Lord is inviting us today: will we continue to hold on to the empty promises of sin, or will we finally surrender our hearts and walk with Jesus into the fullness of life that He longs to give us? — Marino J. Dasmarinas