TUESDAY, FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop & Doctor
Ex 2:1-15 Ps 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34 Mt 11: 20-24
MERCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY INTERTWINED
The first reading highlights God’s providential care in the midst of suffering. We encounter the story of Moses’ birth and early life. Born into a time of oppression, his life is spared through the courage of his mother and sister, and the compassion of Pharaoh’s daughter. He is raised in the Egyptian court, yet remains connected to his Hebrew roots. Witnessing the suffering of his people, Moses takes action, killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. This act, though driven by a sense of justice, forces him to flee Egypt and begin a new life in Midian. The deliverance of Moses from death foreshadows the greater deliverance he will later bring to the Israelites. His act of violence, however, reveals the complexities of human action and the need for divine guidance. Eventually, the life of Moses, who led the Israelites out of slavery, becomes a kind of prophecy of the Messiah, who would save people from the slavery of sin.
The gospel passage highlights the responsibility that comes with witnessing God’s power. Jesus rebukes the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for their lack of repentance despite witnessing His mighty works. He declares that if the miracles performed in these cities had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago. Jesus warns that these cities will face a more severe judgment than Sodom on the day of reckoning. They will be held accountable for their unbelief. Jesus’ words serve as a warning against complacency and a call to respond to God’s grace with humility and repentance.
Thus, the liturgy invites us today to consider the interplay between divine action and human response. The story of Moses demonstrates God’s power to deliver His people from oppression. Jesus, however, highlights the consequences of refusing God’s gift of deliverance accepted by striving towards a transformation of life. May we seek to recognize God’s hand in our lives and to respond with faith and obedience, lest we face a judgment more severe than that of Sodom.
Response: You who are poor, seek God and your heart will revive.
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