Today's gospel gives us a chance to see that Jesus was much more than an idealistic man who has no fear of facing harder realities. The event portrayed may have been one of those days for Jesus when he realizes that much of his preaching and teaching seems to have had more impact in the lives of the Gentiles rather than the ways of life of the Jewish people and those who have been walking the walk with him. Woe to Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum!!! The residents of these towns, where Jesus did spend many days proclaim the Good News, seem to have become lackadaisical with regard to his messages to them and how they should live there lives. It is the tough teacher we confront in the gospel today. So, what does the message mean to you? To me? What would Jesus be saying to the Christian followers in our Church?
What seems to be the thorn that was jabbed into Jesus' work is a complacency. He turns to Gentile towns as comparative subjects. The residents in those towns seem to have adopted a stronger way of living. They were willing to be repentant, to recognize that they had sinned at different times in their lives.
The questions for us today relate specifically to how we live our lives. It is not an unknown reality that many of the Church's teachings based on the teachings of Jesus have become a matter of choice in the minds and hearts of many "followers" of Jesus. Where are they following him? It is a reality that the Sacrament of Reconciliation means little if anything to many Catholics today. Lost is the belief that we are not perfect, that we have sins that to us are addressed simply by saying, "I am sorry, God."
Here is a scenario? When children are growing, the parents almost always insist that a child who has hurt or offended another child has to go to that child and apologize for his/her actions/words. We know well that if that were not done, the child would become one of society's great offenders. The mindset would become "I can do whatever I want to do."
It is no different for us who are adults. Sinfulness has the same impact on our lives if we do not take the time to admit to God that we have offended him, that we may have sinned by failing to live up to the Commandments and the teachings of our Church. It is an amazing reality that when an individual comes to the Sacrament of Reconciliation after many years absence the person will say something like this: "It's been a long time. I cannot tell you my sins. I have forgotten them." Then, if asked, did you even think to say "I have sinned, God: I am sorry?" So often the answer is "I cannot remember that either." What is being said? Isn't it something like "You know I really have cared how I have lived my life during those days." There is no sign of accountability. Doing whatever seems good at the time is what was done whether moral or immoral, whether ethical or unethical? What does repentance mean to us today?
It is a tough gospel. I may well be one that many Catholics need to listen to and seriously consider its message in their lives.
