Chorazin

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Tuesday, 12 July 2016 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 11 : 20-24

At that time, Jesus began to denounce the cities, in which He had performed most of His miracles, because the people there did not change their ways.

“Alas for you Chorazin and Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I assure you, for Tyre and Sidon it will be more bearable on the day of judgment than for you.”

“And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead! For if the miracles which were performed in you had taken place in Sodom, it would still be there today! But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom, on the day of judgment than for you.”

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Tuesday, 14 July 2015 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 11 : 20-24

At that time, Jesus began to denounce the cities, in which He had performed most of His miracles, because the people there did not change their ways.

“Alas for you Chorazin and Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I assure you, for Tyre and Sidon it will be more bearable on the day of judgment than for you.”

“And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead! For if the miracles which were performed in you had taken place in Sodom, it would still be there today! But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

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Friday, 3 October 2014 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 10 : 13-16

At that time, Jesus said, “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! So many miracles have been worked in you! If the same miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would already be sitting in ashes and wearing the sackcloth of repentance. Surely for Tyre and Sidon it will be better on the Day of Judgment than for you.”

“And what of you, city of Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead.”

“Whoever listens to you listens to Me, and whoever rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me, rejects the One who sent Me.”

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Friday, 18 October 2013 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist (Scripture Reflection)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the feast of one of the Four great Evangelists, the four writers of the Gospel of salvation, the Good News of the Lord made apparent to all of us through Jesus His Son, in His life, death, and glorious resurrection. It is through the Gospel that the truths of the Lord are made evident to all, through the inspiration by the Holy Spirit on those appointed to be the writers of the Good News of salvation. Luke, the disciple of the Lord, was one of those four chosen.

We have to first look at what is the nature of this Good News, the wonderful news that we read in the Gospels, written by Luke and the three other Evangelists. In the Gospel, lies the fullness of the Lord’s promise of salvation, as well as the perfect fulfillment of that promise, in Jesus His Son, through whom He brought the Good News into the world, and through whom, by the means of His death and resurrection, the Good News in the Gospels were fulfilled perfectly, along with the prophecies of the prophets as written in the Old Testament.

In Christ we have hope, and in Him our bondage to sin and Satan were broken, and in Him, the path to salvation in God was once again opened to all of us. This is what the Gospels are about, and this is what the Apostles and the other disciples of Christ had preached, ever since the Day of the Pentecost, converting people to the cause of the Lord. That was the true essence and reason of their hard work and dedication, even to the point of shedding their blood and giving up their lives for He who is God.

As we see in the First Reading, we see that St. Luke was one of the companions of St. Paul the Apostle, in his travels and preaching visits around the cities across the Mediterranean Sea. St. Luke was a physician or a doctor, who became a follower of Christ after receiving the revelation of the truth through the Apostles and Christ Himself. Ever since, he had been part of the missionary effort, as Christ had commanded, to bring the words of salvation to the ends of the earth.

St. Luke was part of that mission, which Christ Himself had initiated, with the commissioning and sending of the seventy-two disciples to the towns and villages as heralds for the coming of Christ. With His death and resurrection, the Lord sends forth all of His disciples to all mankind, Jews and Gentiles alike, bringing to them the Good News and the salvation in Jesus Christ.

And just like the Apostles like St. Peter, leader of all of God’s disciples had once been a fisherman, and was made a fisher of mankind, thus, St. Luke too had been called, from his profession as a physician, as a doctor of the illness of the physical body, to be a doctor for our souls. And just as Peter as fisher of man ‘fished’ mankind out of the waters of darkness into the light, therefore St. Luke too, become the one who cured mankind out of the darkness of their hearts and their souls.

How did St. Luke do that? That is through the Gospel that he had written, the Holy Gospel according to Luke, which is rich in history and details, and which made clear to all who read them, on the fullness of God’s love and care for us, that in great detail, St. Luke explained the process through which, the Lord Jesus accomplished and fulfilled perfectly God’s planned salvation for all, beginning from His humble birth in Bethlehem, rejected by all, through His life and ministry, and until His Passion, death, and glorious resurrection.

Brethren! This Holy Gospel, as is the rest of the Holy Scripture is that cure for the darkness that had corrupted our hearts, the key to unlocking the doors of our heart, allowing God to enter into ourselves and make us worthy once again. But beware that we would not be deceived by Satan and his agents, who can twist the words of the Scripture to serve his own purposes. Remember the time when Jesus was tempted three times by Satan in the desert.

That is why, brethren, all of us, firstly, must regularly read the Holy Scriptures, particularly the Gospels of salvation, where we read on Jesus and His divine words and on the central tenets of our faith. And then, we must also pray fervently and seek guidance, that we will not be tempted by the evil one, and will be able to internalise within our hearts, the Good News of our Lord’s salvation, and do not just remain at that, but spread it to the whole world, to all mankind.

May we, therefore, be able to follow in the footsteps of St. Luke and the Apostles,  to carry out the words of the Lord in the Gospels to all the nations, that through us, our own actions and words that reflect the Holy Gospels, we may bring all mankind towards God their Father, who will welcome them into His eternal kingdom. May we be courageous to follow in the footsteps of St. Luke, the Holy Apostles, and the other disciples of Christ. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 4 October 2013 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 10 : 13-16

Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! So many miracles have been worked in you! If the same miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would already be sitting in ashes and wearing the sackcloth of repentance.

Surely for Tyre and Sidon it will be better on the Day of Judgment than for you. And what of you, city of Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead.

Whoever listens to you listens to Me, and whoever rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me, rejects the One who sent Me.

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Tuesday, 16 July 2013 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Gospel Reading)

Matthew 11 : 20-24

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities, in which He had performed most of His miracles, because the people there did not change their ways. “Alas for you Chorazin and Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I assure you, for Tyre and Sidon it will be more bearable on the day of judgement than for you.”

“And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead! For if the miracles which were performed in you had taken place in Sodom, it would still be there today! But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom, on the day of judgment than for you.”

 

Alternative Reading (from the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

 

Matthew 12 : 46-50

While Jesus was still talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is for Me brother, sister, or mother.”