YEAR B: HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (1)

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: CALL TO REPENTANCE

BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon

HOMILY:

(Mt. 11:20-24) Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel Jesus expressed His frustration against the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum where He did a lot of miracles. He saw that the miracles did not result to the repentance of their people. Jesus could not help but compare the people from Sodom and the Gentile towns of Tyre and Sidon who responded by wearing sack cloths and put ashes on themselves as a sign of repentance. They still do not believe that Jesus was the messiah or His message was just any ordinary miracle and without any purpose of inviting them to change. What will it take us to change our ways and be converted back to the life of holiness? Until we are punished? Until we suffer? Until we are humiliated? The sad part of sin is at times they seem harmless. At times we need external and physical manifestations to realize its essential and radical adverse effects. But for the hard of heart, even those are not enough. Such was what happened to the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. We might also say the same thing to many today who are deep into sin and would not recognize the signs of the times.

We can only hope and pray that the Spirit will penetrate their hearts. We can only hope and pray that they see what is being lost. The prayer, Act of Contrition, reveals that; “…dread the lost of heaven and the pains of hell.”

Let us not only see the pain hell would give but the pain of losing heaven. If we can endure the pain of hell, can we really endure the pain of the lost of heaven? It was Jesus’ mission to save us. He will do everything to achieve that. But that cannot be done without our cooperation. God needs our response. That response is repentance.