Tuesday 13 July 2021

Today is Tuesday, the 13 July, in the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time.   

Tenebrae, directed by Nigel Short, sing the Magnificat from Rachmaninov’s Vespers. As I begin to pray today, can I think of the marvels the Lord has worked for me? - the things in my life I think are wonderful, that I want to thank God for?   

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew.   

Matthew 11:20-24 

Jesus began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. ?‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.?But I tell you, on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you.?And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to?Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.?But I tell you that on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.’ 

Ingratitude is one of the things that can hurt us the most. We spend our time, effort, and money preparing something for people to not even notice. Has that happened to you? How did that make you feel?   

On one level this ingratitude is what stirs Jesus to this condemnation of the cities where he had worked so many miracles. They saw what he had done, and while some believed, others simply carried on as if nothing had happened. Is this how you sometimes behave towards God? How thankful are you for what God has done for you? 

As you listen again, hear those distant towns – Chorazin and Bethsaida – as your own home  town or the places near where you live. What difference does this make to Jesus words? 

In these final moments of prayer, enter into a conversation with God about all that he has done for you, and try to make some prayer of thanks.   

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.